Chapter I

Hello and greetings to all! Yes, I have returned with yet another new story. I know, they just will not quit. This one, in case you had not notice, is Virtual Nightmare: Sword Art Online. It is a rather large crossover, mainly of Tales of Xillia (Sort of), Sword Art Online, Summer Wars, with a bit of Hyperdimension Neptunia, with a small dab of a few other series, though I cannot say what they are just yet. The main character is Jude Mathis, the hero of Tales of Xillia if you did not know, as has seemingly become normal for my stories as of late. And yes, it is a harem story, because aren't they all? Now Kirito does appear in the story, but I will say right now that he plays a very small part. And as you will see very soon, the story, while it has the same basic set up as SAO, it is very different. I would like to thank my coauthor Bakuto Masaki for his help in preparing this story, and for his continue help in writing it. I have not much else to say here besides hoping you all enjoy the story. With that said, it is time to move on to the main event.


In a large, wood-paneled room, with a single door in the corner of the room, a small, blue end table to the right of it, a tall wardrobe to the right of that, a door leading to a restroom to the right of the wardrobe, on the corner of the next wall, an entertainment center with a television and several video games next to the door, with a long desk on the next wall, a computer and large monitor seated upon it, blocking the nearby window, with a bed next to it, a figure awoke groggily from the bed.

The figure was a young man with neck-length black hair and amber eyes wearing a set of plain, light blue pajamas.

Swiftly changing from the pajamas to a uniform with a blue and red blazer over a white shirt, long blue trousers, and brown shoes, he sighed as he walked through a large, extravagant home, that was devoid of activity but his own.

With a sigh, the young man muttered, "Huh… Another day. Better get ready and make breakfast."

Sitting at a long, dark brown, wooden table with many chairs, alone, the young man ate a simple breakfast as he noticed a note on the table.

"Sorry Jude, we've got some meetings out of town to take care of. We'll be away for a couple days. Love, your lovely aunts."

With a sigh, the young man, Jude, finished his breakfast and walked over to a simple altar with several small photos on it. Clasping his hands together, he prayed silently. "I'm off, Mom, Dad. I'll be back as soon as I can."


Jude stretched as he walked through a large gate leading into a multi-story, light grey school-building.

"Yo, Jude!" a young man with short black hair and dark grey eyes wearing the same uniform as Jude shouted as he ran up to the brunette teen.

Jude waved as the black-haired teen walked up to him. "Hey, Kazuto. How's it going?"

The black-haired teen, Kazuto shrugged in response. "Not too bad." With a light chuckle, he added, "Suguha's getting on my case about SAO though. You still have your profile from the Beta, right?"

Jude nodded with a smirk. "Of course I do. No way am I deleting it. I may not be able to use all the skills but it looks badass." 'It's the only link I have to Dad,' he thought with a small frown.

Kazuto smirked in response. "Right. It launches tomorrow. You ready?"

Jude nodded. "You know it. Can't let you have all the fun 'Kirito'."

Kazuto stiffened before flailing his arms nervously. "Sh – Shush! I don't want anyone here to find out about username."

"Relax. You're going to make a scene and make people curious if you do that."

Kazuto groaned heavily. "Geez… A – Anyway, did you join any of the guilds that popped up during the Beta?"

Jude nodded. "Yes. I joined one called Debauchery Tea Party."

Kazuto snickered lightly.

"Yeah, yeah. The guild master was really nice, though. Plus, they had a few members that were actually skilled programmers. We ended up creating a few AI partners to help the guild out."

"Right…" Kazuto noted, trying to hide his snicker. "Apparently Kayaba's going to be giving out some kind of gift to the Beta-testers. Any idea what it might be?"

Jude frowned lightly before hiding his expression. "I'm not sure really. Most likely unique skills or items if other MMORPGs are anything to go by."

Kazuto scratched his head lightly. "Well I'm not sure if that's a good measuring stick. I mean, this VRMMORPG doesn't even have magic."

"Fair enough."

Suddenly a loud bell rang throughout the school.

"Aw crap," Kazuto grumbled with worry, "let's get to class, quick!"

"R – Right!" Jude answered frantically as the two took off into the building. "Miss Presa will have our heads if we're late!"


As the duo rushed into class, a woman with long, light blonde hair that reached just past her waist, two long bangs hanging down, framing her face and pink eyes, wearing narrow white glasses, a long-sleeved, white, form-hugging blouse, a knee-length, dark blue pencil skirt, and red dress shoes turned to them with a frown. "Mathis, Kirigaya, you're late."

The duo paled with fear. "Ah crap…"

"Sorry, Miss Presa," Jude apologized.

Presa sighed and then motioned to the rest of the classroom. "Get to your seats. You'll be dealt with later."

"Y – Yes, ma'am," the two answered fearfully as they made their way to their seats.

Jude sat next to a teenage girl with short, curly, light brown hair and bright green eyes, wearing a white shirt with a red ribbon underneath a dark blue blazer with white stripes, a short, dark blue skirt with yellow buttons, brown indoor shoes, and long, white socks.

The girl leaned over with a slightly annoyed frown. "You were playing that game again, weren't you?"

Jude gulped slightly. "M – Morning, Leia."

Leia frowned at his attempted diversion before Presa smacked her ruler against the board, getting everyone's attention.

"No more talking," Presa ordered sternly.


The day passed swiftly enough until noon, lunch.

Jude and Kazuto both sighed in relief as the time came.

"Mathis," Presa suddenly interjected as she walked up to the duo, "I'd like you to stay for a moment. Kirigaya, I'll deal with you later."

"Right!" Kazuto answered excitedly before running off.

Jude twitched an eyebrow. "… Traitor…"

Presa folded her arms with a concerned frown as she turned to Jude.

Jude merely sighed heavily with resignation, prepared for the expected lecture.

Presa released an equally heavy sigh before her posture loosened as she picked up a paper from her desk. "Your grades have remained steadily in the higher rungs of the class, and despite your occasional tardiness, your attendance is near perfect."

Jude tilted his head with confusion and raised an eyebrow. "Umm… Is there a problem then, Miss Presa?"

"Yes. You understand that I'm the only one who knew about your father within this school, correct?"

"Yes…" Jude answered with a pained frown.

"Whether he told you or not, he entrusted me to watch over you as best I can after his passing along with those three aunts of yours. I will admit that I haven't done as well as I should have, and your social circle as a result has fallen. You spend all of your time out of school at home, holed up inside your house."

Jude flinched lightly. "Well… I…"

"I understand that you hurt, but you can't let it consume you like that. If you don't find an outlet, a way to handle the emotions, you're going to crash."

Jude tightened his fists slightly. "I – It's ok Miss Presa. I'm fine. Really."

"You say that, yet I know it's untrue. I'm not saying you're in danger, I just don't like seeing you pulling away from the world. Being smart is great, but if you become emotionally unstable as a result, you'll never be happy."

Jude stiffened slightly as she kissed him on the forehead lightly.

"Now, get going." With a smirk, she teased, "The others might get suspicious."

Jude, his face bright red, answered shakily, "O – Okay," before walking out of the classroom.

Presa sighed before pulling a small box out of her desk. "This might be the best way to get to help you Jude."


Jude sighed as he made his way down one of the school's many hallways when a figure suddenly tackled him from behind.

"C – Camilla!?" Jude exclaimed with a muffled yelp as he glanced behind him and saw a tall young woman with long, flowing, wavy lavender hair that reached just below her round bottom, her long bangs hanging down, covering her left eye, both being a deep purple, two more long sections hanging down, framing her face and ending around her very ample bosom, wearing the same uniform as Leia, except with a green ribbon around her collar.

The lavender-haired young woman, Camilla, giggled lightly in amusement before hugging Jude tighter. "I've been going crazy all day, wanting to see you, little brother."

"I – I see…" Jude grumbled lightly. "C – Can't… breathe…"

Camilla released him from her grasp, a playful smile still adorning her lips.

"Air!" Jude gasped as he stepped away from her. Jude sighed before turning to Camilla with a hint of irritation. "Why do you always do that?"

Camilla smirked before pulling his arm deeply between her bosom. "Is it wrong for a sister to show affection for her adorable little brother?"

"Given the kind of affection you tend to smother me with?" Jude deadpanned. "Maybe."

"You know," Kazuto noted as he approached with a slightly annoyed smirk, "this kinda pisses me off."

"And what is that?" Jude asked curiously.

"Not only do you live with your three smokin' hot aunts, you've also got a hot sister. You know most guys would kill to be in your position, right?"

Jude frowned and flinched slightly.

"Watch what you say," Camilla warned, her eyes narrowed with annoyance. "Or else."

"Uh, right, sorry…" Kazuto answered with confusion.

Camilla turned her attention back to Jude and smiled warmly as she grabbed one of his arms. "How about you and I share lunch today, hm? I made your favorite, my darling little brother."

Jude, his face red with embarrassment as he felt the softness of Camilla's orbs on his arm, responded weakly, "Uh, sure."

Camilla smiled and pulled him down the hallway.


Later, as the day finally came to an end, Jude groaned as he put a hand over his abdomen. "Urgh… I'm so hungry…"

Kazuto raised an eyebrow curiously. "Uh… but it's only been a couple hours since we ate."

Jude stiffened and then laughed weakly, "U – Uh, yeah, right. I just, uh, had a… light lunch… that's all…"

"If you say so… But, at least classes are finally over for the day."

"Hey, Jude," Leia interjected as she walked up to him, "are you busy later?"

"Ye –" Jude began to respond, suddenly stopping as he noticed Leia's lips curl down slightly, and corrected, "No, I'm free."

"Great!" Leia said with a pleased smile.


Camilla frowned as she exited the building, seeing Jude and Leia walk out of the gate together. Furrowing her brow, she followed them out.


"So where we going?" Jude asked as he walked with Leia, unaware Camilla watching from nearby.

Leia turned to him and answered, "A friend and I are going to check out a new arcade, and I know how crazy you are about those video games."

Jude frowned playfully. "You made a friend outside of me?"

Leia whacked him on the back of the head, hard.

"Excuse me," Camilla suddenly interjected as she approached, a forced smile gracing her lips, "but what do you think you're doing to my darling little brother?"

Jude immediately turned to her and put his arms up defensively. "I – It's okay, Camilla, it's because I just made a stupid joke."

Leia folded her arms with an annoyed huff. "Insensitive more like."

"And what joke would that be?" Camilla questioned.

"Acting like he was surprised he's not my only friend. Can you believe that?!"

Camilla blinked in surprise. "You have other friends?"

"Uwah! You too!?"

"You never introduced Jude to any, so I thought he was your only one."

Leia sighed but then saw a figure approaching the trio and waved. "Ah, hey! Suguha!"

"Hey Leia!" Suguha, a teen with short black hair, cut straight along the back, dark grey, almost black, eyes, wearing a dark grey sailor-style sweater with a black collar on the shoulders, a yellow ribbon around the collar, a short, black, pleated miniskirt, knee-high dark blue socks, and black shoes, waved as she ran up to the trio, her sizable bosom shifting as she approached, causing Jude to gulp with mild embarrassment.

"Th – This is your friend…?" Jude asked weakly.

Suguha blinked as she looked at Jude curiously. "You're… Jude, right? I'm Suguha, Kazuto's little sister. In case you forgot, we met a couple times when you came to play games with him." Suguha snickered lightly and then pointed at Jude's hair, which was very messy. "You look a little weird with that messy hair though."

Jude and Camilla immediately stiffened.

"Wh – What…?" Jude asked weakly.

"Yeah," Leia remarked, "what'd you do to mess it up so badly?" Stopping momentarily to pat his hair down, Leia then stepped back and nodded as she admired her work. "There, much better."

Suguha nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Much cuter too."

Jude's face turned red with abashment. "Th – Thanks…"

Suguha nodded before turning to Camilla curiously. "Uh… who are you again…?"

Camilla smiled warmly and explained, "I'm Jude's loving big sister. Camilla."

Jude smiled as the two spoke before noticing their equally sized bosoms swaying next to each other, causing him to gulp as his face turned red.

"Ahem!" Leia interjected loudly as her eyebrows twitched angrily.

"H – Huh?" Jude stuttered before turning to her. "What, I wasn't staring at anything."

Camilla blinked curiously before smirking.

Leia grumbled in annoyance. "Come on, Perv, let's go."

"I – I'm not a pervert…" Jude argued weakly.

Camilla, however, huffed with irritation. "Do try and not insult my brother again."

Leia sighed heavily. 'That idiot… always looking at those melons… Why can't he look at me like that?' Leia patted her chest curiously as the group walked. '… Maybe… I should get a boob job…'

Camilla glanced back at Leia curiously. She then glanced at Suguha to the side before her gaze moved down, prompting a confident smirk.


"Whoa…" Jude mumbled in disbelief as the group stood in front of the store, a large building with a white and red sign on the top, "this place is huge… How come I've never heard of it?"

"I don't know," Leia replied. "Lack of friends?"

Camilla immediately sent a glare to Leia's back the brunette could almost feel.

Shivering off the strange sensation, Leia continued, "Apparently it's some American company, GameShop."

"I see…" Jude uttered in surprise as the group entered the store and saw the vast collection of video games within. "Amazing… Man, they have a wide selection. A good amount of these games they don't sell in major stores anymore."

Leia chuckled lightly.

"I – It's incredible… I – Is this what heaven's like…?"

Camilla smirked as she squeezed his arm in her cleavage. "I'm fairly certain there are far better examples than this."

Jude gulped lightly, Leia responding with a suspicious glare. "C – Camilla," Jude interjected quietly, "we really shouldn't in public."

"Shouldn't what?" Camilla asked with a playful smirk. "Let your big sister hold your arm in public? I did it all the time when we were children."

"Yeah," Jude answered briskly, "when we were children," he added with emphasis.

Camilla sighed with defeat and released his arm. "So be it."

Suguha laughed lightly as she picked up one of the older games on the shelf. "I remember Niisan bought this for me when I was younger as one of my first games." With a regretful laugh, she added, "I broke it within a week."

"That's because you didn't know how to hold it properly," Jude rebuffed. "You needed to know how to take better care of your games too."

Suguha nodded as she turned to him. "I know. And it's easier to do now thanks to that big case you bought me."

Jude scratched the back of his head with a weak laugh. "Well, yeah… though it was mainly to stop Kazuto from biting my ears off"

Leia twitched an eyebrow and then stomped on the top of his foot, hard.

"Ow! What was that for Leia?!"

Suguha blinked and then turned to Jude in thought. "Sorry, what'd you say, Jude?"

Leia laughed unconvincingly. "Oh, nothing. Just ignore this idiot."

Suguha tilted her head curiously. "Okay…?"

Camilla twitched an eyebrow, restraining herself from strangling Leia.

Leia sighed and then leaned close to Jude, annoyed, and whispered, "The hell are you doing, stupid?!"

Jude blinked in confusion, surprise, and pain at Leia's sudden and unexpected actions. "Wh – What…?"

"When you get a gift for a girl, you don't say it's because of someone else! You make it seem like you got it specifically for her!"

"H – Huh…? O – Okay…"

"Now, let's find something to buy!"

Camilla hummed in thought before wrapping her arms around one of Jude's. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Come with me my Darling."

"H – Hey! Jude! Come back here!"

"Huh…" Suguha muttered in thought as she observed the duo.


Camilla smiled widely as she held several games marked "R-18". 'These should help my darling little brother.'

Jude, his face red with embarrassment, sighed heavily as he walked next to Camilla. 'Of all the genres she could pick from… Why Eroge…?'

"Have you gotten all that you want, Darling?" Camilla asked with a smile.

"Huh?" Jude mumbled as her turned to her. "Uh, yeah, I…" he trailed off as he saw a card on the wall, selling a download for SAO.

"Ah!" Camilla suddenly muttered loudly before grabbing one of the cards. "Can't forget this."

Jude raised an eyebrow curiously. "Don't you already have one?"

"Hm?" she hummed as she turned to him. "No. I wasn't involved with the Beta."

"Really? Huh, didn't know that." As they approached the front of the store, Jude noticed Leia at the checkout counter. "What'cha got there, Leia?"

Leia stumbled in surprise, fumbling an item in her grasp, before hiding it behind her and laughing weakly. "U – Uh, I, uh… n – nothing! It's nothing!"

Jude raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Uh, okay?"

Camilla blinked curiously and then smirked.


Later, Jude and Camilla made their way home, Camilla hanging off of his arm as usual.

Jude sighed and looked at her, asking weakly, "Do you have to hang on me like that…?"

Camilla smiled as she hugged his arm tighter. "I don't see the problem. No one sees us."

"Yeah but… what if someone does?"

Smirking playfully, Camilla rebutted, "I tripped."

Jude sighed in defeat. "Okay."

The duo walked into the house and were greeted by a tall man with long, mid-back length grey hair that was pulled back in a long ponytail and brown eyes with significant wrinkles around them, along with a thin beard and mustache wearing a pair of thin, black-framed glasses, and a long, black and white butler uniform.

Bowing, the man greeted, "Welcome home, sir, madam."

"Oh," Jude muttered in slight surprise, "hey Rowen. How've you been doing today?"

Rowen smiled and answered happily, "Quite fine, sir. Do you need of me today, sir?"

Jude shook his head in response. "No thanks, I'm just going to do some of the work Ms. Presa gave me before getting online."

"Dinner would be nice though," Camilla interjected.

Rowen nodded in understanding. "I will get started immediately, then, madam."

Camilla then began pushing Jude from behind, deeper into the house. "Now, Darling, let's go do our homework." With a sly smirk, she added, "Then we can do some homework.'

Jude's face turned bright red with embarrassment.


Later on, Jude sighed as he leaned back from his desk with a light sigh. "There… homework's all done… Now then… To get online."

However, before he could, Camilla suddenly hugged him from behind and held her SAO card out in front of his face. "Not just yet."

Jude gulped slightly, feeling the softness of her orbs against his head. "H – Huh…?"

"I need you to help me get this running on my machine. Of course, if you'd rather do someone else first, I don't mind."

Jude stiffened and replied, "L – Let's get you set up, Camilla."

Camilla responded with a faux pout. "Aw."

Jude gulped heavily. "M – Maybe later."

"Fufu."


"There," Jude noted as he stood up from Camilla's computer. "All set."

Camilla wrapped her arms around his shoulders and planted her lips on his for several seconds before pulling away slightly. "Thank you, Darling."

Jude nodded with a blush before he saw Camilla pick something up from her bed.

Holding a large, grey helmet with a dark grey visor, Camilla commented, "You still need to help me set up the Nerve Gear though."

Jude's face reddened slightly more as he nodded. "O – Okay. Put it on and I'll start it up."

Camilla responded by beginning to undo the buttons on her blouse.

"N – No need to get naked!" Jude argued as he covered his eyes.

Camilla smirked slyly. "But won't it read my body better if it's all in the open?"

His eyes still covered, Jude rebutted, "Th – There's no difference!"

Camilla giggled with amusement as she put a finger on his chin. "Fufu, you're so cute, my darling little brother."

Jude's blush increased even further.

Putting the NerveGear on her head, Camilla remarked, "It's alright, you can open your eyes now."

Jude did and nodded slightly. "Okay, I – I'll get it set up…" He then went to the computer and plugged several wires from the NerveGear into the machine.


Back in his own room, Jude put his own NerveGear on and laid down in his bed. "Link Start!"


Inside of a large, medieval town with stone buildings and cobblestone paths, man with knee-length, dark brown hair, two bangs framing his face, and blue eyes wearing a dark grey shirt under a knee-length blue coat with a purple border, black pants with blue lines up the front, and matching boots appeared in a flash of light.

Looking around in thought, the man smirked. "So my character of Sergio's still in the system. Perfect." He then looked around as more and more people began appearing flashes of light around him and chuckled lightly. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who preordered. Now then… where's Sis…?" However, the man's questions were halted when he heard a loud dinging sound. Swiping his hand down, a series of grey circles appeared in the air, one of which was flashing. Pressing it, another, larger screen opened showing he had received a message. "A message, huh?" Opening the message, he read the contents aloud in thought. "For your participation in the SAO Beta-Test, you have received the gift of a random Buddy to act as your AI companion in your adventures." Sergio raised an eyebrow curiously. "Partner…? That's new. Wonder what it is. Hhmm… I don't like this crowd…"


After walking down an alley, Sergio pressed a button inside the message, causing an orb of light to emerge from his menu, flutter around him for a moment, and then land in front of him before bursting with light.

As the light died down, Sergio saw a young-looking woman with long, straight, waist-length, bright red hair, amber eyes with slitted pupils, and large, red, pointed, scaly ears with scales going down the sides of her face, as well as a very sizable bust, and below her waist, rather than legs, she had an extremely long, red, scaly, snake-tail.

Sergio blinked in bewilderment. "U – Uuhh… This… is my Partner…?"

The snake-like woman smiled brightly and asked, "Are you the one who summoned me?"

Sergio nodded dumbly as he looked her over. "Y – Yeah…"

She then immediately tackled Sergio into a powerful hug, wrapping her long tail around him affectionately. "Darling!"

"Grah!" Sergio grunted as she tackled him. "T – Too… tight… S – Stop… you're going… to kill me…"

However, before the woman could succeed in that venture, she was struck from behind and fell to the ground. "Gah!" she gasped and hissed as she uncoiled from Sergio.

Sergio coughed before standing. When he did, he saw a beautiful young woman with long, wavy, scarlet red hair that reached her waist, her bangs hanging down, covering one eye and framing her face, with its dark brown eyes, wearing a purple scarf around her neck, a very revealing, black, halter-type breastplate that revealed a large portion of her generous cleavage, shoulder-length black gauntlets, matching, thigh-high greaves with purple stockings underneath, and a black bikini bottom with a brown belt holding up a piece of white cloth held loosely around her waist. On her back was a long, plain ax.

Sergio gaped slightly as he saw the red-haired woman before him. "Wh – Whoa… hot…"

The red-haired woman smirked and replied, "Why thank you, Darling."

Sergio blinked in confusion. "… Sis…?"

With a smirk, she did a single twirl, allowing Sergio to see her entirely before stopping with a clang as her greave tapped the ground. "What do you think? I call this character Knightwalker."

Looking her over once, Sergio commented, "I've gotta admit, she's hot but not as hot as you really are."

"Oh?" she responded as she sauntered close to him. "I think I can come to like this more confident version of you."

"You do, huh?"

"Hey!" Sergio's Partner snarled as she moved between the two, glaring at Knightwalker. "Stop hogging Darling!"

Knightwalker huffed in annoyance. "He's my Darling first. So can hog him as much as I like." Leaning to the side to see Sergio, she added, "Isn't that right, Darling?"

Sergio shrugged with a smirk. "I'd say there's enough of me to go around."

"I know there is, Darling. But I want as much as possible when I'm near you…"

The snake woman puffed her cheeks in annoyance.

Sergio chuckled before turning to her. "Sorry about this. Actually, I don't think I got your name."

She turned to him and then smiled happily. "I'm Miia, your AI Partner. I'll be with you as you try to conquer Aincrad!"

Sergio grinned happily. "Good to know." Frowning slightly, he muttered in his head, 'Hhmm… this AI is incredibly lifelike. She reminds me of…'

"Aw," Knightwalker pouted, "I don't have one…"

"Only Beta-Testers get them."

Knightwalker pouted with annoyance.

Turning back to Miia, Sergio asked, "So, Miia, what can you do?"

Smiling happily, Miia answered, "I can carry your things, fight alongside you, help gather stuff for you, cook, and sleep with you!"

"S – Sleep with me!?"

"Okay!" Miia cheered before preparing to leap at him, Knightwalker stopping her by grabbing her collar.

"Oh no you don't," Knightwalker argued. "Darling barely even knows you."

Sergio coughed lightly and redirected, "So, is there a limit to how many Partners I can have?"

Miia pouted sadly and asked, worriedly, "Am I… not good enough for you, Darling?"

'C – Cute…' Shaking his head vigorously, Sergio argued, "N – No it's not that! I was just curious."

Miia blinked in thought. "O – Oh… Erm, well if you need, you can have up to three Partners with you. Of course, we don't count towards your Party count, so you still need more players if you're going after a quest that requires a certain Party size."

"I see. Good to know."

"So, what's first, Darling? Are we going to go shopping? Or go on a quest? Form a party? Or… do you want…" she trailed off as she raised the small skirt wrapping around her waist slightly, "me?"

"Uuhh…"

Knightwalker then pinched one of Miia's ears roughly. "No."

"Owie, owie!" Miia shrieked in pain. "That hurts!"

Sergio sighed in exasperation.


As Sergio, Miia, and Knightwalker walked through the game's starting location, the Town of Beginnings, Sergio suddenly heard a familiar voice call to him.

"Yo, Sergio!"

Turning to the voice, Sergio saw a young man with short, messy black hair that was combed back, dark grey eyes, and a plain blue and light grey outfit. Grinning, Sergio replied, "Hey, Kirito! You really should've picked an avatar that doesn't look so much like you really do."

Knightwalker narrowed her eyes and turned to Sergio questioningly. "Who's this?"

"Huh? Oh, it's just Kazuto."

Kirito flinched. "H – Hey! You're not supposed to use real names, remember?"

"So? Anyway, how're you handling the actual game?"

Kirito sighed and then shrugged. "Pretty good, I guess." He then glanced to the side and saw Miia. "Got your Partner, huh?"

Sergio nodded in response. "Yeah. A Lamia. She's… odd. Thinking of finding or forging her some armor and weapon."

Miia then squealed happily. "Really?! I'm going to get a present from Darling!?"

Sergio chuckled and motioned to her. "See what I mean?"

Kirito laughed lightly. "Yeah, I do."

"So where's yours?"

Kirito shrugged lightly. "You know me, dedicated soloist. I was thinking of giving it to you instead." With a sarcastic smirk, he added, "You probably need it more than I do anyway."

Sergio huffed lightly. "Really? Sure you won't end up falling off a cliff without it?"

Kirito smirked and opened his menu, forwarding the Partner message to Sergio. "Here, I probably wouldn't know what to do with it anyway."

"Hhmm…" Sergio hummed in thought before smirking. "Actually, I have a better idea."

Knightwalker then blinked as she heard a ding. Opening her menu, she found the Partner message forwarded to her. "You're giving it to me?"

"Of course I am."

Knightwalker opened the gift, causing an orb of light to appear from her menu, flutter around her, and then burst brightly. As the light died down, the group saw a young-looking woman with fair skin, long, knee-length silver hair, and bright red eyes, she also a pair of large, red, reptilian wings on her back, a long, scaled tail protruding from just above her round bottom, two large, pointed, red horns atop her head, and red scales covering the majority of her arms, she also wore a very revealing, short, red and black dress that exposed much of her sizable bust, much of her firm abdomen, and had a very short, pleated skirt, thigh-high stockings, and knee-high greaves.

"… Whoa…" Sergio muttered in surprise.

"Which of you is it that summoned me?" the draconic woman asked.

Knightwalker immediately pointed at Sergio.

"Eehh?!" Sergio shouted in confusion. "No I didn't!" Pointing at Knightwalker, he rebutted, "She did."

The dragon-woman growled in annoyance.

"Wh – What…?"

"Just tell me who I am to be the Partner of," the woman insisted. "I have had enough of this foolishness."

Knightwalker pointed to Sergio once again, eliciting an annoyed sigh from him.

The woman turned to Sergio with a graceful smile and greeted, "My name is Horo and I am your –" she then stopped suddenly when she saw Miia.

Miia twitched an eyebrow and immediately coiled her tail around Sergio. "Mine!"

"Can't… breathe…" Sergio grumbled.

Horo then growled and grabbed Miia with her powerful, clawed hands. "Release him, snake!"

"He's my Darling!" Miia argued pettily.

Kirito merely laughed in mild amusement.

"Shall I stun you again, serpent?" Knightwalker threatened.

Miia pouted and uncurled from Sergio.

Horo sighed and then turned to Sergio. "You seem somewhat surprised by my appearance."

"Of course," Sergio answered. "Two random Partners and both happen to be hot, human-animal hybrids."

"How is that surprising?"

"All Partners are like us," Miia and Horo answered in unison.

Sergio twitched an eyebrow in annoyance. "… I think the old man's a pervert…"

Kirito, however, stumbled back, laughing extremely hard. "Wow! Good luck with that, man!"

Sergio pointed at Kirito and scowled, snarling, "Screw you!"

Horo then folded her arms in thought. "Now… how should I address you? Perhaps Master?"

Sergio's face turned minutely red before he rebutted, "J – Just Sergio's fine."

Horo nodded with a slight pout. She then turned to the side and noticed Kirito. "Who the hell are you?"

"Ah," Kirito muttered. "Kirito, friend of Sergio's."

Horo paled slightly. "Y – You're a… player…?" Her face then turned as red as her scales before she began spewing fire from her mouth at Kirito. "Don't look at me!"

Kirito paled and ran, fleeing from Horo's attacks. "Wh – What the hell?! This is supposed to be a safe zone! You shouldn't be able to attack me!"

Sergio chuckled lightly. "I think the power of Tsun transcends safe zones."

Knightwalker snickered in amusement.


Shortly later, Kirito laid in a heap, Horo standing over him with her arms folded, digging her heel onto his head. "Repent for your foul actions, accursed human. And never speak of what you saw to anyone or face the wrath of a dragon."

"R – Right…" Kirito answered weakly.

Sergio put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Horo, let up. Besides, it's your own fault for not realizing he was there."

Horo sighed in resignation. "Very well."

"Hey, I have an idea, how about we head out and do a few quests?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Knightwalker answered.


The group stood in front of a large, holographic panel as Kirito swiped through several menus. "Okay… so… ah, here we go. How about this one? It's a quest to gather some herbs in a meadow surrounded by monsters."

Sergio nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me. Something simple to see if the game made any major differences with the Quest system."


Eventually, the group followed the directions of the quest and found themselves in a large, open field. "Huh. The Meadow hasn't changed much," Sergio commented in thought.

"Seems like it," Kirito noted.

"What are you looking for again?" Horo questioned.

"Just a few herbs for this question," Sergio explained. "Make sure to grab a few extra for us. They're good for brewing potions and poisons."

Miia then interjected by tapping Sergio's shoulder with her tail.

"Yeah, Miia?"

Miia then pointed to a group of large, reptilian creatures with grey skin on the backs of their heads. "What are those?"

Sergio looked at the creatures curiously. "Aptonoths. Low-level monsters. Not really dangerous unless you go after them first."

Horo drooled slightly. "They look tasty…"

Sergio glanced at Kirito curiously before smirking. "Ah, what the hell. I could use some XP. You?"

Kirito grinned and drew his sword. "You know it."

Horo then crouched down, preparing to launch herself into the air, only to be interjected as Miia threw a rock at the creatures.

"Really? A rock?"

As if in response, one of the Aptonoths growled when the rock hit it on the head. The beast then roared and began to charge.

"Here it comes!" Sergio announced as he readied his fists. "Get ready!"

Horo smirked and readied her claws. "Allow me to –!"

However, before she could finish her sentence, Miia suddenly surged forward, coiled her tail around the Aptonoth's neck, and twisted, snapping its neck and draining the beast's health in one strike.

Horo twitched an eyebrow angrily. "You petulant serpent! I was about to show Sergio my grace and power by slaying that beast!"

Miia hissed in indignation. "Hey! I'm not petulant you bloated lizard!"

Horo's face immediately turned the same color as her scales with embarrassment and irritation. "B – Bloated!? Why you –! I'll have you know that my breasts are a sign of nobility and maturity!"

"Bbllooaatteedd!" Miia taunted.

"Why… you…!" Horo then smirked darkly and grabbed the tip of Miia's tail tightly.

"Kya!" Miia shrieked loudly before trembling. "S – Stop that…!"

"Someone mind telling me what's going on here?" Sergio muttered in confusion.

"No clue…" Kirito mumbled. With a sigh, Kirito then patted Sergio's back. "Good luck man. You're gonna need it."

Sergio groaned heavily. "Go get eaten by a slime."

Knightwalker chuckled lightly as she rested her chin on his shoulder lightly. "Yes, I think I'm going to like this spicier version of you. Now if only you'd be like this in real life. I'm sure our love life would be much better."

Kirito merely stared suspiciously.

"What?"

"Oh nothing," Kirito replied plainly. "I'm just wondering what Ms. Presa and Leia would think about this."

Sergio shivered lightly in fear. "Good thing they aren't gamers. Otherwise they'd be stumbling through everything."

The group's attention was then distracted by a loud scream.

The group immediately ran towards the scream and saw a woman with long, wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin wearing a generic purple and pink outfit that hugged her curvaceous body, fighting an Aptonoth weakly.

"Wow…" Sergio muttered in unimpressed shock. "Just, wow…"

"Pathetic," Horo chided.

Kirito and Sergio both watched silently as the woman flailed helplessly with the creature, her bosom swaying in many directions.

Kirito gulped slightly and mentioned, "You know… I don't really know what Kayaba was thinking when he made this game, but… he sure added some… detailed physics, eh…"

"He made it as realistic as possible," Sergio noted. "Besides, who doesn't love jiggle physics?"

Knightwalker glanced down and hopped up and down slightly.

Sergio glanced at her momentarily and then licked his lips.

"Fufu, want some?"

Sergio shrugged. "Can't. Ethics code is on."

"Then turn it off."

Kirito then tapped Sergio's shoulder. "Oh boy, she's got more coming after her. Maybe… we should give her a hand."

"Way ahead of ya!" Sergio rebutted with a smirk.

The blonde woman sighed before seeing more of the creatures approaching her. 'Uh-oh… When I bought this, I didn't expect all of the sensations to be so… real…' She paled as the creatures then charged.

Sergio immediately launched at one of the Aptonoths, smashing its head into the ground with his fists, as Knightwalker struck the other with her spear.

Sergio sighed and then turned to the blonde with a smirk. "That was a close one, huh? You alright Newbie?"

"Y – Yeah…" she answered weakly. "Wh – What was that thing?"

"Aptonoth," Kirito explained as he walked up to the others. "They're the starting enemy in this game. Hopefully you didn't have too much trouble. They're the weakest monster in the game."

The blonde paled in disbelief. "WHAT?!"

Sergio raised an eyebrow curiously. "Is this your first VRMMO?"

Slumping in distress, she answered weakly, "This is my first video game. Ever…"

"Ah…" Sergio muttered in disbelief. "Well… I guess we can give you a hand."

"Uh, thanks…"

Sergio nodded in return before asking, "So what's your name? I'm Sergio."

"Huh? Oh, I'm uh…" looking around for a moment she then answered, "Jill."

"Ah, nice name."

Jill's cheeks turned slightly red before she sighed. "Thanks… but I think I'm finished…"

Sergio shook his head and helped her stand. "No you're not. You're just not used to things yet. There IS more to SAO then straight out fighting miss."

Jill looked at him surprised and confused. "Really? But I thought all RPGs were about fighting to level up, or something."

"Most, yes, but SAO is a little different. You… did read the manual, right?"

Jill laughed weakly before slumping her shoulders. "Uhh… A tiny bit… enough to know how to start the equipment…"

Sergio sighed and slapped a hand over his face with exasperation. "Oh brother…"

Jill blinked curiously before furrowing her brow. 'That voice… Is he… Jude…?'

Kirito just laughed lightly in amusement.

After sighing, Sergio then chuckled lightly with a smirk. "Okay, how about this? I'll give you a basic rundown of the mechanics."

Jill nodded appreciatively before a small smile formed on her lips. 'He's so different here. His mannerisms, the way he talks. He's more… confident.'

Knightwalker sighed lightly with exasperation. "Are you going to help every newbie we come across, Darling?"

Sergio smirked. "Just the pretty ones, Knightwalker." Turning back to Jill, he then remarked in thought, "Now first up we need to find out what kind of weapon fits you best. By your looks I'd say a dagger and throwing weapons. Meaning with the proper leveling in the right areas you'd be a great stealth-based player, hitting the enemy before they can even see you. This is just combat-wise, of course. Me personally I equip a set of heavy gauntlets on my hands and punch the enemy, using the metals of the gauntlet to add to the power of each strike."

Jill hummed in thought as she considered Sergio's words.

"Next is stats. In my case, Strength, Endurance, Agility, all those stats are what I increased to make me able to hit harder and take more hits effectively. You'd probably want to focus on Perception, Intelligence, and Agility. And of course, combat isn't the only option."

Jill raised an eyebrow in confusion. "It's not?"

Sergio nodded in response. "There are hundreds of different aptitudes. There isn't an actual class-system, instead you just pick the skills that best fit what you do. Sure, you can be an adventurer who goes around slaying monsters to reach the max level, but you can also be an innkeeper, a blacksmith, an info merchant, a shopkeeper, just about anything you can think of for real life. There are… other things you can do but those are best ignored."

"Impressive…"

Sergio nodded with a proud smirk. "Yup. And another thing you should know is that the things you can make if you're the crafting type is truly limited to your knowledge of real world principles."

Jill sighed in amazement as she attempted to process all of the new information. "I see. The world of this game is quite robust."

Sergio grinned happily. "Yep! Which is why people love it!"

Kirito then interjected, tapping Sergio's shoulder.

"What?" Sergio asked, perturbed at the interruption.

Kirito pointed to an arguing Horo and Miia. "Oh, nothing, just that Miia and Horo are fighting again."

Sergio slapped a hand over his face with a heavy groan. "Ah dammit. I'd better go stop them."

Jill watched him as he tried to break up the fight and smiled lightly. 'He truly is a different person here.' She then frowned slightly with concern. 'If only he would be more like that in his real life…'

Knightwalker sighed slightly.

Kirito then turned to Jill in thought before pointing near her. "You've got another one coming at you."

Jill flinched and then turned and paled as another Aptonoth charged at her.


After spending several hours training with Jill, Sergio sighed as he looked around before turning to her. "Right, well I don't know about you, Jill, but it's getting late where I live, so I need to head out."

Jill blinked curiously before nodding. "Huh? Oh, sure. Thank you for helping me today. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kirito nodded in agreement. "Yeah, don't wanna show up late again, Ms. Presa might kill us if we do."

Sergio chuckled lightly. "Now, now. She isn't all that bad. She can be nice too. I know her ass is."

Jill's face turned bright red. 'H – He likes my ass…?'

Sergio then turned to Horo and Miia. "Right. Hey, Miia, Horo, let's head back to the Town of Beginnings. Then I need to log out."

Horo nodded in understanding.

"Aaww, Darling…!" Miia pouted loudly. "Don't go!" Miia added, wrapping around him.

"H – Hey…!" Sergio groaned as she tightened around him. "I'll be back tomorrow, so don't worry. I need to be so I can help my new friend here learn how to survive in the game."

Miia pouted once more.


Jude sighed as he walked into the classroom, almost immediately noticing Leia yawning heavily. "Leia?"

Leia stiffened and then turned to him in surprise. "U – Uh, yeah…?"

"Why do you look so tired?" Jude asked as he sat down.

"Uuhh… Movies! I stayed up all night watching movies!"

Jude raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Really? What kind?"

Leia twitched an eyebrow. "Uuhh… you know… good ones…"

Jude furrowed his brow suspiciously. "That's not an answer."

"Uuhh…" Leia then turned in relieved surprise. "Ah, hey! Natsuki!"

Jude twitched an eyebrow at Leia's redirection but then turned to look at Natsuki, a young woman with long, straight, waist-length, dark blue hair, plain brown eyes, wearing the same uniform as Leia and the other girls. Blinking in thought, Jude turned to Leia. "Huh… another friend you never introduced me to?"

Leia huffed lightly. "Considering who she is, I shouldn't need to."

Jude tilted his head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You dummy, she's the granddaughter of the matriarch of the Jinnouchi clan!"

"Jinnouchi… nope. Doesn't ring a bell."

Natsuki laughed lightly, waving a hand dismissively. "It's okay, Leia. I prefer meeting people without my family's baggage hanging over me."

"Family baggage, huh?" Jude sighed and added under his breath, "I can relate to that…"

Natsuki then turned to Jude and extended a hand out. "I'm Natsuki Shinohara. Usually I sit in the opposite corner of the class to you, so it's no surprise you don't know who I am."

"Ah, I see. Well I'm Jude Mathis. Nice to meet you."

Natsuki nodded. "Same to you. So, Mathis, do you have any hobbies?"

Jude nodded in return. "Yeah. Gaming and anime mostly. And… designing things, I guess you could say."

"Really?" Natsuki asked, excitedly.

"Um, yeah."

"Have you had a chance to play that new game, SAO, yet?"

Jude smirked and nodded. "Of course I have!"

Natsuki smiled with a light pout. "I'm actually kind of jealous. I didn't get the chance to buy one of the early release copies, plus I've been pretty busy lately. How is it?"

"Amazing, naturally. The graphics and environments are incredibly realistic, as are the game's mechanics. Like using weapons, if you're good with a type of weapon in real life you can use that skill and knowledge in the game."

"Wow…"

Jude nodded. "Yeah, impressive."

Natsuki then blinked in thought. "Wait… you're that Jude, aren't you?"

Jude's eyes widened slightly, though he managed to hide his surprise and worry. "H – Huh? What do you mean?"

Leia immediately slapped a hand over Natsuki's mouth with a weak laugh. "I – It's nothing."

Jude sighed slightly in relief when Presa walked into the room, ordering everyone to their seats as usual. Jude did notice, that as she walked by his desk, her hips swayed slightly more than usual, eliciting a gulp in the young man.

Presa smirked slightly before taking her position at the front of the class.

Jude groaned slightly.

"Somethin' wrong?" Kazuto asked curiously.

Jude nodded. "Yeah… Ms. Presa swaying her hips like that…"

"Yeah… she has been acting a little strange today."

"A little? I could almost swear she was trying to tempt me…"

Kazuto snickered lightly. "What makes you think it's directed at you?"

Jude stiffened and then sighed heavily. "Good point…"

As Presa sat at her desk, her pen snapped in her hand. 'Kirigaya… I'll make you pay for that…'


Later that day, Jude, Camilla, Natsuki, Leia, and Kazuto ate lunch together, Camilla visibly annoyed, when Kazuto mentioned, "Hey, did Ms. Presa seem a little different today?"

Leia took a bite of her sandwich and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. She seemed… excited maybe?"

Natsuki then noted, "Maybe she got laid?"

Jude spat his drink in shock. "Sh – Shinohara!"

Kazuto could not suppress a snicker at Jude's reaction, eliciting a glare from his brown-haired friend.

Leia raised an eyebrow and added, "Maybe she got back together with that guy she was seeing?"

Jude hissed angrily at the thought of the man in question. "Tch, that guy's a scumbag. And not worth her time. She deserves someone far better than him."

Camilla smirked knowingly as Natsuki and Leia sent him matching expressions.

"Wh – What…?" he wondered at their expressions.

"You've got the hots for Ms. Presa, don'tcha?" Natsuki asked with a playful grin.

Jude's face turned a very deep crimson. "Wh – What?!"

Natsuki shrugged in acknowledgement. "Well, I can understand why. She's got a mature air about her, has a sort of motherly authority, and of course those breasts of hers will get any man."

Leia pouted in annoyance and glanced to the side, muttering, "B – Boobs aren't everything…"


Jude sighed as the daily classes came to an end. "Man this day is long…"

"Well tonight will be fun, eh?" Kazuto interjected before grinning. "Maybe we'll meet that cute newbie again."

Jude nodded lightly. "M – Maybe. I did promise to help her get used to the game."


As Jude and Camilla walked home, Camilla noticed Jude release a heavy sigh. "What's wrong, Darling?" she asked with concern as she looked at him.

"I'm just wondering what's up with Ms. Presa…" he noted with confusion.

Camilla shrugged with a smirk. "Well maybe you'll find out some day. Now, let's get home and get our work done so we can have some fun. And play that game some more of course."


After completing their homework for the day, Jude made his way to his room and started up SAO once more. "Right, time to log on." 'Wonder if I'll see that cute newbie again?' "Well, only one way to find out."


Sergio sat up in a small inn and saw Horo and Miia lying beside him.

He chuckled as he sat up, patting their heads to wake them.

Miia sat up with a heavy yawn before seeing Sergio. "Darling!" she exclaimed before tackling him to the ground with a hug.

"M – Miia…" he groaned in pain. "M – My… HP…"

Miia immediately jumped off of him with an ashamed pout. "S – Sorry, Darling…"

Sergio sighed as he stood. "It's okay. Good morning, I guess, Miia."

Horo then tapped his head with her tail, causing him to turn around. "Don't forget to say hello to me…"

Sergio chuckled lightly as he patted her head. "Sorry 'bout that, Horo."

The door then opened as Knightwalker entered the room, her spear on her back. "So, ready to head out for today?"

Sergio nodded with a smirk. "You bet your tight ass I am."

Knightwalker smirked before blinking in thought. "That reminds me, we haven't done it there for a while."

"We haven't?"

Sergio's two Partners looked at each other, befuddled.


As the group made their way around the Town of Beginnings, Sergio looked at the various shops, growing more and more frustrated as time went by.

"What's bothering you, Sergio?" Horo asked as she walked next to him.

With a sigh, he answered, "There's not a single shop here that sells throwing knives."

Horo blinked in thought. "Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"After complaints during the Beta, throwing knives are now a standard, unlimited weapon all players have."

Sergio blinked and then opened a menu before going through his various equipment items. Sure enough, throwing knives were present. "Well that's… new… And breaks the realism a little." Sergio's attention was then taken when a loud ding came from his menu. "Huh? A message? This one's from Jill."

Knightwalker sighed in mild annoyance. "Oh."

Sergio glanced at her. "Something wrong?"

"No. Let's go."

Sergio frowned suspiciously. "She's waiting for us in the town square. Let's head there now."


And end! That brings the first chapter of Virtual Nightmare: Sword Art Online to an end. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the chapter. Be sure to post a review if you did. Go ahead and leave a review if you were confused or unsure about anything, or if you simply have some questions about the story. I will do what I can to address them in a reviewer response. If you did not enjoy the chapter, post a review if you must, but keep it civil and not merely flaming, though I would suggest you instead find something you enjoy rather than wasting time on something you do not. Well I have nothing else to add, so until the next chapter, bye-bye!