Hey guys, here is my shot at a Sword Art Online fanfic. It's an awesome series, right? Well worthy to be written about!
This will be a Kirito/Asuna/Harem story. The harem is already more-or-less decided, but if you suggest someone and have a good reason (and they aren't already in the Harem) than I may add them!
Kirito will be slightly OOC in this story, but only with certain people. For example, he won't be as distant with Suguha in the beginning as he was in canon. There are a few reasons for this, some of which will be revealed through the story.
Kirito and my OC Ailyn will likely have their own guild, as opposed to joining KOB, or they might stay as Black Cats of the Full Moon. Haven't decided yet, but just putting that little thing out there. I will take name suggestions for their guild, if you like, but right now I am leaning towards Hand of Sorrow, Aegis, or Shattered Chains. Freedom's Call is up there as well.
Furthermore, some people that died in canon won't die here, simply because I like their characters. I won't say who, but feel free to guess!
I also need a beta reader.
Now, on to the story!
SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC
Sword Art Online: Shattered Chains
Chapter One
Fulldive and Freedom Lost
SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC
Kazuto Kirigaya stood before his rather impressive computer station, which he himself had constructed and set up, watching the news reel depicting the long lines and excited gamers waiting to buy, or having already bought, copies of the latest and greatest VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online. Black eyes watched steadily from beneath long black bangs that framed what most would describe as a rather feminine face, something that irritated him to no end when it is mentioned.
"Kazuto-kun, I'm going to kendo practice! I'll see you later, okay?" he heard his cousin, Suguha call through his door.
"Okay, Suguha-chan! Stay safe, and I'll help you with your homework later, okay?" he called back as he began to get his Nervegear ready for use. The technology, developed specifically by Kayaba Akihiko for Sword Art Online, would connect directly to his brain stem, allowing his mind to literally 'dive' into the game, resulting in the technology being referred to as "Full-dive".
"Okay!" he heard her cheer before she dashed down the stairs and out the door. Smiling slightly to himself, Kazuto lay down on his bed and slid his Nervegear headset on and powered up. His second cousin was always an energetic girl, and was one of the few people that he actually liked interacting with in reality, resulting in the pair of them spending a great deal of time together over the years. Even now, she was doing enough kendo for the both of them, to keep the patriarch of their family happy. Glancing at the clock in the upper right hand corner of display, he noted with excitement that there was less than a minute left until SAO launched. He waited with baited breath, and the instant the clock read '13:00' he activated the login sequence.
"Link…Start!"
A blur of colors flashed before his eyes, followed by several circles. Quickly running through the calibration sequence, Kazuto logged into his beta account, Kirito. 'Landing' in the main square of the starting town, the Town of Beginnings, he grinned and clenched a fist as he looked around.
"I'm finally back in this world!" he cheered softly to himself.
SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC
Running down the crowded street, Kirito dodged around the roadside markets selling swords, daggers, spears…anything you can imagine, as well as avoiding running over passersby or customers. Ignoring the chatter of merchants hawking their wares, people inviting each other to groups, or discussing the game, he turned into a side street and headed for the west gate. A shout pulled him up short, and he half turned to see a red-headed guy running after him. The man halted and put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily for a moment, and then stood upright.
"You move like you've been here before. You were in the beta test, right?" the guy asked, and Kirito blinked at him. What did that have to do with anything?
"Y-yeah?" he replied, confused, and the guy got a look that could only be described as begging on his face.
"This is my first day! Please, show me the basics?" he asked, and Kirito blinked at him again, feeling a little awkward.
"U-uh…" he stuttered, and the guy clapped his hands together in what looked like a cross between praying and more begging.
"I'm begging you!" the guy pleaded, before smirking and pointing at himself with a thumb. "My name is Klein! Pleased to meet you!"
"I'm Kirito." Kirito replied with a smile. The guy was a little weird, but seemed nice enough. "C'mon, a friend of mine from the beta is waiting for me in the West field. Best place for a level 1 to start."
"Yes sir!" Klein saluted with a grin, and the pair headed off again.
SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC
"Uwahhh!" Klein cried out as he went flying backwards to land on his back in the grassy plains of the West Field, his dagger landing abandoned beside him as he curled up around the one target that no man can fully resist a hit to.
His crotch.
"Oh, give me a break!" Kirito snorted, shaking his head with a small grin as Klein continued to roll around on the ground. "You don't actually feel any pain right?"
"Oh…oh yeah." Klein muttered, embarrassed as he got to his feet and scratched the back of his head. "Just a habit, I guess."
"Ne, get hit in the crotch often, Klein?" a young woman's voice chortled from nearby, and the pair turned to see a brunette with green eyes wandering towards them, carrying a short spear in one hand with a shield on her other arm.
"Oh? Is this your friend, Kirito? She's cute!" Klein's eyes got small stars in them, and an instant later he was before the girl, her left hand somehow in both of his while he gave her what he thought was a handsome and roguish grin. "My name is Klein, pretty lady, what's your na…GWAHHH!"
For the second time in five minutes, Klein was writhing on the ground in (supposed) pain to his crotch, as the girl had driven her knee none-too-gently straight into his manly area. She stepped over him and walked up to Kirito before throwing her arms around him in a hug.
"I missed you, Kirito! It's been so long!" she cheered, and Kirito blushed while patting her head awkwardly.
"It's been a little less than a month, Ailyn." He pointed out, before looking at Klein, who had regained his feet. "Klein, this is Ailyn. She was in the beta test with me, and we partied together through most of it. I sent her a message as soon as I ran into you."
"Ah, nice to meet you, Ailyn." Klein said with a bow, and she nodded in reply before eyeing him.
"You need to work on your initial motion input, Klein." She said after a moment, and he sighed gustily.
"I know, that's what Kirito has been telling me, but the little bastard keeps moving around!" he grumbled in annoyance, and Ailyn giggled before picking up a large stone of the ground and bouncing it in her palm.
"If you do the motion input right, and activate a sword skill," she explained, holding the stone up next to her head as if she was going to throw it at the boar, and it began to glow red. She didn't throw it so much as it exploded from her hand and smashed into the boar's flank, spinning it around and enraging it. "The system will ensure that your technique hits it target."
"Motion input…motion input…" Klein muttered, readying his short sword with a skeptical look.
"How should we explain it…" Kirito mused as he attracted the angry boar's attention, easily dodging its charges as he talked. Catching the boar's tusks on his sword, he found the words he was looking for. "Add a slight pause, and when you feel the skill beginning to activate, let it explode!"
"Explode?" Klein muttered, before his face got the proverbial "light bulb" look and he settled into a combat stance, bringing his short sword up next to his head as it began to glow orange. Kirito smirked and shoved the boar of his blade, giving it a solid kick so it was pointed towards Klein. The boar charged, and Klein fired his technique with a yell, dashing forward. His blade sliced straight through the boar, and it's health bar dropped to zero before it shattered into a cloud of multicolored particles.
"YEAH!" Klein shouted in victory, throwing his fists into the air. Dropping into an impromptu victory dance, he continued to congratulate himself in a display that would have been embarrassing if it wasn't so entertaining.
"Congratulations." Kirito said, interrupting his celebration, and both he and Ailyn high-fived the rookie.
"You do realize that those boars are about as strong as slimes are in most other games though, right?" Ailyn asked with a smirk, and the way Klein's face fell was beyond comical.
"Seriously?" he groaned. "I thought that was like, a mid-level boss or something."
This proved to be too much for Ailyn who proceeded to start laughing long and hard, leaning against Kirito to keep from falling over, while Kirito himself gave a couple of soft snickers before schooling his features again.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up!" Klein grumbled, although his lips twitched slightly in response.
"Of course it wasn't, Klein! Look around!" Ailyn finally managed to say through her giggles, gesturing around the field. Klein looked and saw several more of the boars wandering around or re-spawning. Grumbling, he practiced using his sword skills again.
"Pretty exciting, isn't it?" Kirito asked, smiling at the enjoyment on the rookie player's face.
"Yeah!" Klein agreed with a grin, twirling his blade around and making a few practice cuts. "Hey, there are lots of skills, right? Like, blacksmithing and stuff?"
"Yeah, from what I heard, there are an unlimited amount of skills. Since the game is so life-like, you can literally create new classes and skills. Take Ailyn for instance. She invented using a shield and spear together during the beta, and figured out how to be a tank with that armament. Now, thanks to her, there is the Lancer class." Kirito answered, gesturing to his companion.
"That's pretty impressive. I never would have thought of that kind of combination." Klein mused, looking at Ailyn with respect in his eyes.
"However, there is no magic in this game. None of any kind. If you need healing, you had best have a potion on you." Kirito added, drawing Klein's attention again.
"An RPG without magic?" Klein mused, powering up another sword skill. "That's a pretty bold, and risky, decision to make!"
"Maybe." Ailyn agreed with a shrug as Klein unleashed his skill in a blur of red energy. "But isn't it much more fun to move your body while you fight, as opposed to just standing there?"
"You're right!" Klein agreed, nodding slowly.
"Hmm. Well, let's move on to the next group now." Kirito smiled, and Klein nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, let's keep going!"
SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT SAO: TBT
Some three and a half hours later, a tired but still energetic and happy Klein was sitting cross legged, with Ailyn and Kirito stood together just a few feet away, watching the sun set over the horizon.
"It's amazing. No matter how many times I remind myself, I keep forgetting that I'm actually in a video game." Klein said aloud, shaking his head appreciatively. "Whoever made this is a genius, for sure. I'm really glad I was born in this time!"
"You get so excited over the littlest things…" Aiyln sighed, shaking her head in amusement at their companions perpetually child-like and energetic attitude.
"Hey! This is my first full-dive, you know!" Klein protested, sounding slightly petulant, and Kirito looked at him in surprise.
"Then…this is your first time using Nervegear?" he asked, and Klein nodded.
"Yeah, I rushed out and bought all the gear and stuff just for SAO. I was really lucky to get one of the ten thousand copies. Of course, you two are ten times as lucky, since you got into the beta test. Only a thousand got accepted." He replied, and Kirito rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yeah, I guess so." He muttered, feeling a little embarrassed. He should be used to naturally exuberant people (he did grow up with Suguha, after all) but he still felt awkward sometimes.
"How far did you to get in the beta?" Klein asked, curious, and the two glanced at each other before shrugging.
"In the two month beta, we only made it to Floor 10, but this time it will take less than one." Ailyn answered for the both of them, and Klein's eyebrows rose. From what he read on the forums, most beta testers had only gotten to Floor Five or Six.
"That's pretty impressive. You two are really into this." He said, and Kirito nodded while drawing his sword, relishing the realness of the grip in his hands.
"To be really honest with you, during the beta test SAO was all I thought about, day or night. In this world, one blade will take you wherever you want to go. It's a virtual world, but I feel more alive and more at home here then I do in reality." He replied quietly, rotating the blade so it caught the light of the setting sun.
"I felt the same way, that's why we went so far in the beta." Ailyn agreed quietly, watching Kirito with a smile on her face. When she had first met him, the boy had been impersonal and a stalwart solo player. She had managed to get him to open up slowly, and they had become friends, although he was still rather off-putting to most people. Not that she could tell him yet, but she was really starting to like Kirito, which is why she had been thrilled when he had asked her if she wanted to meet up after the game's release and play together again. Shaking her head to free herself of her thoughts, she smiled and rapped her shield with her fist. "Well, shall we go hunting some more?"
"Of course!" Klein agreed, clenching a fist, before his voice dropped into a somewhat depressed tone. "I'd love to but," there was the sound of a stomach rumbling fairly loudly, and Klein sighed while wrapping his arms around his stomach. "I'm really hungry so…I'm going to eat."
"You know that eating food down here only makes you think you're not hungry, right?" Kirito pointed out dryly, but Klein grinned and pointed a finger at him.
"I already ordered a hot pizza! It will be getting delivered to my house around 5:30!" he declared, and Kirito laughed slightly.
"Well, I see you're so prepared." He commented, and Klein posted his hands on his knees and nodded.
"Yup! Once I've eaten, I'll be back!" he said, and Kirito frowned slightly.
"I see…" his voice trailed off, and Klein noticed.
"Hey, I'm going to be meeting friends from another game when I get back. Do you two want to friend them to, and join us?" he asked, prompting Kirito and Ailyn to exchange glances and shuffle a little awkwardly. Klein noticed, and hastened to continue. "Hey, if you don't want to, that's fine! I can introduce you another time!"
"Yeah, sorry." Kirito said quietly, looking down. "Thanks."
"Yes, thank you." Ailyn said, just as quietly as she watched Kirito. She could tell he felt bad about saying no, but hadn't wanted to meet too many new people at once. She sighed gustily. Looks like she had more work cut out for her, making him open up to more people.
"Hey, that's my line!" Klein grinned, walking up to them and putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "I owe you guys, and I'll repay you sometime. In the game, of course. Dead broke in the real world, after paying for all of this."
Kirito and Ailyn laughed along with him quietly, all three enjoying the easy camaraderie that seemed to have sprung up over the course of a few hours.
"If you need to know anything else, just ask me or Ailyn. Beta testers are here to help you newbies. After all, without us you might end up losing to a wild boar, or cutting your own foot off!" Kirito joked, and Klein mock pouted before grinning and laughing.
"I'll do that! See you guys around!" he agreed cheerfully, waving and turning away, swiping one hand through the air to bring up his menu. Ailyn and Kirito were turning to find another pack of mobs to fight when Klein's voice grabbed their attention. "What the…? There's no button too logout…"
"Yes there is, newbie. Look closer, at the bottom of the menu." Ailyn sighed, giving Kirito an amused look that said "Really?"Kirito just shrugged with a wry grin.
"No, the icon is there but there is no button to press." Klein said, sounding bewildered and concerned.
"Eh?" both Kirito and Ailyn walked closer to him and summoned their own menus, only to find out that he was right.
"Well, I'm shocked and chagrined…" Ailyn muttered, blushing lightly. Kirito nudged her with an elbow, and she smacked his arm loudly before they refocused their attention to the dilemma before that was, quite literally, before them.
"I don't understand though…is it a bug?" Kirito murmured, staring at his menu with a furrowed brow.
"Well, it is the first day, so there are bound to be a few bugs, right?" Klein said, a little annoyed. He had spent a lot of money on this game and the Nervegear. Getting a bug the first day was irritating even if it was expected, but since he had food coming soon... He grinned after a moment, his easy-going nature coming to the fore once more. "Heh, I bet that the server people are freaking out right now."
"Yep, and in a minute you will be too." Ailyn commented with a sly grin, pointing at the time display on her menu. "It's 5:25 right now."
Klein froze for a moment, his expression disbelieving, before his eyes widened in horror. Throwing his head back and grabbing his hair with both hands, he bellowed his pain to the sky.
"NOOOO! MY TERIYAKI MAYO PIZZA AND GINGER ALE!" Ailyn and Kirito both stared at him, before sighing simultaneously with a hint of amusement. Klein, it seemed, had a flair for the melodramatic.
"Hey, calm down and call your GM." Kirito sighed.
"I did, but no one is picking up. What's going on here?" Klein muttered, confused even further. "Hey, is there another way for you to log out? Like, a bypass or something?"
"Hmm, no. If a player wants to log themselves out, they must use the menu." Kirito replied, shaking his head, and Klein groaned.
"That's nuts. There has to be someway out." Klein declared, before making several wild gestures, one of which being jumping in the air with an upraised fist while yelling aloud. "Return! Log out! Escape!"
Provided that crickets existed in SAO, and happened to be in that field, they would no doubt have been the loudest sound there as Kirito and Ailyn both stared at Klein with expressions that clearly stated their concearn for his sanity, while Klein stood there, arm still upraised, and waited for something to happen.
Nothing did.
"There wasn't an emergency logout in the manual either." Ailyn murmured with a frown. Something wasn't right here. It could be a simple bug, but it felt far more ominous than that.
"You're kidding right?" Klein gaped at him, before holding up a finger as if he had a great idea. Reaching up to his head, he made lifting motions with his hands a few inches away from his skull. "I know! I can just rip the Nervegear off of my head!"
"Is he for real?" Ailyn murmured to Kirito, as Klein continued his actions, and the young man shrugged before returning his attention to Klein.
"Oi, don't waste the effort. We can't move our real bodies while Linked In. The Nervegear intercepts anything our brain does at the brain stem, remember? That's how you move in the game." He said, and Klein stopped his attempts with a frown.
"So, we have to wait for them to fix the bug?" he asked, and Kirito shrugged slightly.
"That, or someone in the real world has to unplug us from the Nervegear." He replied, and Klein grimaced.
"Ah, I live alone, so there goes that idea. How about you two?" he sighed.
"I live alone as well, but then I don't need to log off anytime soon." Ailyn said calmly.
"I live with some relatives. Both my parents are dead, so it's just me, and aunt, and a cousin. They will probably notice by dinner time." He replied, and Klein got the same look on his face that he had when he first saw Ailyn. Dashing forward, he grabbed Kirito by the shoulders and shook him slightly.
"Oh? How old is your sister?" he asked excitedly, and Kirito stared at him before his eyebrow started to twitch slightly.
"She's on a sports team, and she doesn't really like gaming." He replied, but Klein didn't seem put off in the least.
"That doesn't matt…KYAAAAA!" Klein started to say, before releasing a girlish scream as Kirito's knee rammed into his crotch. Flying backwards, he bounced on the grass and immediately clutched it, tears in his eyes, before blinking and nodding. "That's right, it doesn't hurt…"
"Doesn't this seem really, really strange to you guys?" Ailyn said suddenly, and the two boys looked at her.
"Well, yeah, but it's just a bug, right?" Klein replied in confusion, and Ailyn frowned.
"It can't be just a bug. If we can't log out, it could pose a very serious problem for this games future. If there really was a bug, all they would do is shut down the servers to force-quit all the players."
"You're right, now that I think about it…" Klein muttered, looking around the area.
"Yeah, and there hasn't been a GM announcement or anything, either." Kirito agreed with a nod.
Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a massive bell ringing was suddenly audible, echoing across the entire floor. All three turned to look at its origin, the Town of Beginnings, and were suddenly wreathed in a white aura. Moments later, they found themselves in the main courtyard of the town, standing before the massive clocktower, in which the bell still rang. All around them, other players were appearing in white flashes of light, and started chattering with one another.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"I don't know…"
"A forced teleport?" Kirito muttered, looking around. The bell stopped ringing, and Ailyn gasped aloud.
"Look, up there!" She pointed to the sky, were a blinking red WARNING notice hovered. Moments later, it began to multiple, until the entire sky was blotted out by a massive red dome WARNINGs and System Announcements. Through the cracks at the apex of the dome flowed what looked rather like blood. Pooling in midair, it began to form a definable shape until at last an enormous, red robed figure hung above the crowd. Immediately, the crowd began murmuring again.
"What is that?"
"Is it a Game Master?"
"Why doesn't he have a face?"
"Is this some sort of event?"
"I'm scared…"
"Ah, don't worry, it's just a part of the opening ceremony I bet."
"Greetings, Players." The figure spoke at last, raising his arms. "Welcome to my world."
"My…world?" Ailyn muttered, a sick sensation starting to gather in the pit of her stomach.
"My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and as of right now I am the sole person to have control of this world. I'm sure you've all noticed by now that you are unable to logout. This is not a defect, nor a bug. This is an intentional feature of Sword Art Online."
"WHAT?" Kirito yelled, as around him other players did the same. "What the hell is going on here?"
"A-a feature?" Klein gasped lowly, eyes widened in shock, and Ailyn gritted her teeth.
"You cannot log out of the game, and no one in the real world can shut down or remove the Nervegear. Should this be attempted, the Nervegear transmitter will release focused microwaves, destroying your brain and thus ending your existence."
"What the hell? Enough already!"
"Come on, let's go." One player said to the female player at his side, pulling her towards the edge of the courtyard, only to run headlong into an invisible wall. "I can't get out!"
"What is he talking about? He has to be nuts, right guys?" Klein asked, turning to his companions, only for Ailyn to shake her head.
"No, he's right. The transmitter's signals work just like microwaves. If the safety were ever disabled, it could easily fry a brain." She replied, and Klein gaped at her in disbelief.
"Then…maybe if we cut the power?" Klein said slowly, but Kirito shook his head.
"No, Nervegear has a built in battery." He said, and Klein shivered, shaking his head violently.
"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored the warning sent out via the news agencies, and have attempted to remove the Nervegear. As a result, 213 players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world." Kayaba continued, and a ripple of murmurs ran through the crowd."
"Two Hundred and Thirteen?" Kirito breathed, while Ailyn moved closer to him instinctively, one hand reaching out to clutch his sleeve.
"I..I don't believe it…" Klein muttered, shock written all over his face.
"As you can see," as Kayaba spoke, several windows showing various news reports flickered into life around him. "Many news agencies are reporting all of this, including the deaths themselves. Be reassured that the danger of the Nervegear being removed from you is now minimal. I do hope that you will relax and attempt to clear the game. Please, remember all of this clearly: There is no longer any revival method in this game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted, as will your mind as the Nervegear fries it."
The crowd stared up at him in disbelief. Sure, being stuck in the game until it was cleared, on pain of death, was bad enough, but dying for real if you got killed in battle? This was insane! Some sort of pipe dream, or maybe he would suddenly laugh and say that it was all a joke, and to enjoy the first event of the game!
"There is only one way to be free. Clearing the game." The now-revealed psychopath continued, uncaring of the crimes he had committed and would continue to commit. He brought up a map of the entirety of Aincrad, and pointed to it. "As you now, you are on the lowest floor of Aincrad. If you make your way through the dungeon and to the Floor Boss, defeating it, you will be able to advance to the next floor. Defeat the Final Boss on Floor 100, clear the game, and all the players will be freed."
"Clear?"
"What is he saying?"
"You…you're making that up!"
"Clear all 100 floors?" Klein glared at the red-robed menace. "That's impossible! The beta testers never got anywhere close to that level!"
"Finally, I added an item to your inventories. Think of it as…a welcoming present from me. Please, see for yourselves."
"'Mirror?'" Ailyn said slowly, looking at it in confusion before selecting it. At once, a small square hand mirror flashed into being before her, and fell into her hands. Looking into it, she saw her face for just a moment before the mirror flared white, blinding her and bathing her in light. Moments later, the light faded, and she looked at herself. Her Avatar form was gone, and her actual appearance was in its place. Long, scarlet-gold hair hung in luxurious waves down her back, mid-length bangs partially hiding bright amethyst eyes. Her skin was a dusky brown (Think Yoruichi from Bleach. That skin tone.) and her armor was tight against her C-cup breasts, giving some of the men (and women) around her a slight nosebleed.
"Ailyn?" Kirito's voice came from nearby, and she turned before her eyes widened and she blushed faintly. Kirito's short, spiky black hair framed what could be described as a feminine face, his black eyes looking at her in wide-eyed amazement as a not-so-faint blush stained his cheeks. "Wow, you…you look good."
"Thanks…you too." She replied, her blush darkening further at his praise and his continued stare.
"Man, what is this?" A red-head with short, red spiked hair, a bandanna, and a rugged appearance said as he came over to them, rubbing the back of his head. "What happened, Kirito? Eh? Who are you guys, and where did Kirito and Ailyn go?"
"Eh? I'm Kirito and she's Ailyn, but who…KLEIN?" Kirito gaped at the red-head, who blinked at the pair of them before fixating on Ailyn again. Glaring at him, Ailyn fingered her spear, and was satisfied when he gulped and turned away slightly, moving his hands to shield his manhood from harm.
"Yeah, it's me. So I guess that the Mirror revealed our real appearances, but how did the game know all the details?" Klein asked again, and Kirito narrowed his eyes in thought.
"When we were setting up the Nervegear, remember how we had to put in all of our data, and scan ourselves with the Nervegear? I bet this is why." He replied, and his two companions nodded in agreement and understanding. It made sense after all.
"But why? Why is he doing all of this to us?" Klein asked plaintively, and Kirito pointed at the still floating form of Kayaba Akihiko.
"I'm sure that he is going to tell us." Was the simply reply. As if on cue, the red-robed menace began to speak again.
"I'm sure that many of you are thinking: 'Why would Kayaba Akihiko, creator of SAO and Nervegear, do all of this? Well, my goal has already been achieved! I created Sword Art Online for one reason, and one reason only: To rule of this world!"
"Damn him…!" Ailyn growled, fists clenched at her sides as she glared hatefully up at the madman.
"And now, it is complete!" he declared, gazing down at them all. "This concludes the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch! Good luck…players!"
With those final words, the figure dissolved into the blood-like substance, which vanished. Moments later, the dome of system alerts vanished, the sky returning to its previous appearance of normalcy. That normalcy was nothing more than a façade, however, as 9, 787 horrified players stared uncomprehendingly at the space that had previously been occupied by one Kayaba Akihiko.
"This…this is real." Kirito murmured to himself, just loud enough for his two companions to hear him. "The genius who created Nervegear, and created a completely virtual space, Kayaba Akihiko. I used to admire him so much, so I can tell that everything he just said is true. If we die in this game…then we will die in real life!"
Suddenly, the silence broe as several girls screamed in fear, while the men started yelling angrily at the empty, uncaring sky.
"Screw you! Let us out of here!"
"I can't stay here, I have a meeting after this!"
"What the hell are you thinking?"
"Let us go! Tell us that it's all a lie!"
Kirito gritted his teeth as he looked around at the yelling crowd. This was bad, and it was only going to get worse.
"Klein, Ailyn. Follow me, quickly!" he hissed to his two friends, trying to keep his voice down, before heading for the edge of the courtyard. Some fifteen minutes later, the trio was near one of the gates out of town, and Kirito turned to them. "Listen to me. I'm heading to the next village right now. Come with me. If what he said is true, the only way to stay alive now is to become as powerful as you can."
"He's right. The resources in MMORPGs are limited, and can take a lot of time to respawn. In other words, the amount of money, exp, and items we can get is limited, and will be hard to get enough off once everyone back in the courtyard snaps out of it and starts flooding the area. If we want to stay ahead of the game, we need to move to the next city now, where we will have the run of the place." Ailyn agreed softly, looking at the two males. "I'll be at your side, Kirito. Someone has to keep you out of trouble."
"Ailyn and I know all of the dangerous areas, and the areas that are the most profitable. Even at level one or two we can get there with relative easy." Kirito continued, and then both looked at Klein, waiting for his thoughts.
"I…I spent a long time in line, waiting in line to buy this, so that I could play this game with my friends. They're out there, in the plaza. I can't abandon them!" he said with concearn.
Damn, if it was just Klein, it would be hard enough, but with me and Ailyn we could smash through, but any more than this…we can't make it! Kirito thought to himself, his mind racing as he tried to figure out a way for it to work.
"Sorry. I can't ask you for anything else, can I? I used to run a guild in our old game, so I can't pull them together and stay alive until we meet again. I'll show them what you showed me. Just please send us updates when you can about good places to hunt." He said with a smile, and Ailyn and Kirito returned it sadly.
"Alright. Then let's say goodbye here. If anything happens, send me a message." Kirito ordered.
"Will do!" Klein replied with a grin.
"Alright…goodbye, Klein…" Ailyn said softly, as the pair turned away.
"Kirito, Ailyn!" Klein said suddenly, and they stopped. "You guys were actually pretty cute. That's my type."
"Heh, and that unkempt face of your suits you ten times better!" Ailyn replied with a smirk, looking over her shoulder, before the two raced out off the gate and down the path, leaving Klein staring after them with worry in his eyes.
Please, don't die… he thought, turning back towards the courtyard and brining up his Private Message box, and keying up his friends' names. It was time to get started.
SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC
Ailyn and Kirito raced down the dirt path as fast as they could. Kirito was deep in his thoughts, thinking about his younger cousin, and his aunt. He was sure they would find out what had happened soon, if they hadn't already. He knew Suguha would be crying hard. She loved him so much, was always trying to help him and spend time with him. His aunt would be putting on a strong front and comforting her, hiding away her own pain for Suguha' sake.
I will not die! I am going to come out of this alive, and I am going to help as many people live as I can! He told himself, determined.
Ailyn's thoughts were similar. Though she lived alone, she knew her parents and friends would be terrified for her safety. Well, she wasn't going to die, and she would make sure Kirito lived as well.
Ahead of them, a pair of wolves spawned into existence and charged towards the running humans, who drew their weapons in response. Kirito cut one in half while Ailyn smashed the other with her shield before impaling it with her lance. Re-sheathing their weapons, the pair continued down the path, having never broken stride, both placing their hope and trust for survival in each other.
SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC SAO: SC
And that is the first chapter. The name of the story will be explained at a later date, but we aren't far enough in to it for you to understand. Feel free to guess though! Please, remember to review, and PM me if you are interested in being the beta for this story!
