.hack/Sword
Summary: Ryou Misaki, the player of Haseo of [The World], was just bored. He decided to play Sword Art Online, a new VRMMORPG. Just when he thought he was done with crazy things happening in games, now he's stuck in a game where dying means dying. As the player Skeith, can he win this game and see his friends again? Pairings undecided. Haseo REPLACES Kirito, so beware, Kirito fans.
Chapter 1: Death Game
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1st August, Somewhere in Japan, Ryou Misaki/Haseo
I yawned. I was really beginning to get bored. I had nothing to do. I was already one of the best players in [The World], so there's nothing for me to do there except meeting friends. None of them are online at the moment, though. Who knew the life of a 'hero'(that's what my friends call me, anyways. I disagree. What hero has 'The Terror of Death' as a nickname?) can be so dull?
Ah, forgot to introduce myself. I am Ryou Misaki. But you might know me better as Haseo, The Terror of Death. I am a player of the game [The World]. 12 months ago, I started as a newbie. And….I got PKed not 10 minutes later. Sad, right? Anyways, another player Ovan, came along and saved me. I found out he was the Guildmaster of a Guild known as [The Twilight Brigade]. They were searching for a legendary item known as [The Key of The Twilight]. I joined the guild after being invited. But then…..then Ovan disappeared. And then Shino, a member of the Brigade that I liked, got PKed. For some odd reason, she fell into a coma afterwards. And I….I went berserk. I became basically a vengeance-hungry monster. I started targeting PKers for information about the person who PKed Shino, Tri-Edge. There was one time I even PKKed 100 PKers in one night. That was the night I earned my nickname, [The Terror of Death]. And then finally….Ovan reappeared and told me information regarding Tri-Edge. I immediately seeked him out….and was defeated. And to make things worse, I de-leveled from level 133 to level 1.
And then…..you know what, this a waste of time. Just play the .hack/G.U. games if you want to know more about me. Hey, at least I told you the storyline of .hack/Roots. Know you won't have to watch 20+ episodes of an anime with bad animation.
The ringing sound of the doorbell cut off my thoughts. I immediately opened the door, and outside there was a package on the floor. Curious, I picked it up and read a note that was next to it.
Congratulations, Ryou Misaki!
You are one of the 1,000 lucky people that have been chosen to play in the beta test of [Sword Art Online], the world's first VRMMORPG!
Ah.
I remember signing up for the [Sword Art Online] – also called [SAO] - beta test last week. I was just looking for another game to play besides [The World R:2]. It seems I was accepted. Lucky me.
I ripped open the package, revealing a box titled [Sword Art Online].
Well, looks like I finally have something to do for a while.
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6th November, Ryou Misaki's home
Today was finally the day.
The day of [Sword Art Online]'s official release. 2 months ago, I played the [Closed Beta Test] of [Sword Art Online], and needless to say, I got hooked. It was just so…..different….compared to [The World R:2]. Sure, [The World R:2] had pretty good graphics, but they were nothing compared to [SAO]. And I still needed to use a damned controller when playing [The World R:2], and for [SAO]…..it's amazing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was real.
CC Corps, the company that owns [The World R:2], are going to have to do a LOT to catch up with Argus, the company that owns [Sword Art Online]. Maybe they'll make [The World R:3], this time with the full-dive system. Hey, I can dream, right?
I looked at the clock on the wall. 1 minute. One minute from now, the online service would be officially active.
I took out the NerveGear, the first console made for the full-dive system, out of the box and plugged it in.
I lay down on the bed, and took the helmet that was part of the NerveGear, and wore it. I took a glance at the clock, and at the very second it hit 1 o' clock….
"[Link Start!]"
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First Floor, Town of Beginnings, Haseo/Skeith's POV
"Hey, teach me a few things!" the man in front of me begged. He had brown hair and samurai armor, and wore a bandanna on his forehead. I wondered how he could be so shameless and be so demanding to a person he never met before.
I sighed. I really didn't have time for this. But this guy's begging me for it…. "Eh, sure, why not. Let's go to the weapons shop first. What's your name." I told him.
"I'm Klein! And sure, I'll go to the weapon's shop with you! What's your name?" Klein asked.
"I'm Skeith. Come on, follow me." I said. Yes, I named myself Skeith. No way in hell would I name myself Haseo, since that would no doubt attract unwanted attention.
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First Floor, outside the Town of Beginnings, Skeith's POV
"Aaah….Uaa…..Waah….." Klein said, while swishing his sword around with those strange shouts. Right afterwards, the blue boar Klein was trying to hit charged at him. I facepalmed, watching him fly through the air.
"Klein….you idiot, it's not like that. The first movement is important, Klein." I advised.
"Argh….that bastard…" Klein said while he got up. "But Skeith….even if you say that, I can't do anything about the fact that it's moving." Klein complained.
I sighed. I took a pebble on the ground and raised it above my shoulder. The system detected the first movement of a [Sword Skill] and the pebble started glowing greenish light. After that, my hand almost moved by itself and the pebble went flying, and hit the boar between its forehead. The boar squealed in fury and turned to me.
"Of course it moves, captain obvious. It's not damned training dummy. You just have to do the right motion, and the system would do the rest for you." I explained.
"Motion…motion…" Klein muttered, as if it was some sort of incantation. While doing so, he raised his cutlass he held in his right hand.
"It's hard to explain. It's not 1, 2, 3, and strike. Then as soon you as you feel the [Sword Skill] start, it….explodes, I guess, and hits the monster." I explained.
"Explode, huh?" Klein muttered. Klein leveled his sword at his waist. After taking a big breath, he lowered his stance and raised his sword as if he was going to shoulder it. This time, the sword shone brightly. With a low yell, he jumped off the ground with movement different from before. The [Reaver], a basic skill of the one-handed curved sword, struck the boar and killed it. The boar gave a pitiful cry before shattering like glass.
"YEAH!" Klein exclaimed while doing a victory pose with a huge smile on his face.
"Congrats….but that boar is about as strong as slimes in just about every game." I told him.
"EH? I thought it was some sort of mini-boss or something…." Klein muttered in disappointment.
"No way in hell." I told him.
I sheathed my dagger (one thing I don't like about this game, it's that I can't use two daggers at once.), and looked at the scenery while Klein practiced [Reaver] over and over again.
After a while, Klein sheathed his weapon and walked over me, watching the scenery as well. "Wow….No matter how many times I see it, I can't believe we're inside a game." Klein muttered.
"Well, we're not exactly inside the game, it's just our brain is seeing and hearing instead of our eyes and ears, with the signals the [NerveGear] sends." I explained.
"You might be used to it, but this is my first time using [NerveGear!]. I'm glad I was born in this era!" Klein said.
"You're exaggerating." I said, but I completely agreed with him. "So [SAO] is the first full-dive game you played?" I asked in curiosity.
"Yeah. I had to wait in a huge line to get it! There were only 10,000 that were made, after all. I'm so lucky I got it! But you're 10 times luckier, getting into the beta test!" he said.
"I guess so." I said simply. "So, do you want to keep hunting till you get used to it?" I asked him.
"Sure! ….is what I want to say, but…well, I should log off and eat. I ordered pizza to eat at 5.30 p.m." He said.
"Pretty thorough." I said.
"Of course! I promised some friends to meet them in [The Town of Beginnings] in a bit. Want to meet them?" Klein asked.
"Nah. I'm not the friendliest of people. They would probably dislike me.
"Well, too bad. Well, I need to log out now. Thanks a lot, Skeith. See you later." He said.
I shook his hand. "Yeah, see you around." I said.
Klein took a step back, and opened the main menu with his fingers. I sat down on a rock, and opened the main menu too, organizing the items I got.
"Eh?" Klein asked with a confused tone. "There's no log out button!" he said.
I raised my head in confusion. "Huh? Look closer, it should be….." I said, before realizing it wasn't there. "…there…." I finished. "You're…..right. There's no log out button." I said in confusion.
Klein smiled and started rubbing his chin. "Well, it's the first day, so bugs could happen. The GMs are probably crying from all the complaints their getting right now." He said.
"I guess you're right…." I said, with a hint of doubt. I felt something….something terrible was going to happen. Something that would change my life forever.
"Ah, damn!" Klein panicked. "It's 5.25 already! My pizza! Hey Skeith, isn't there any other way to log out?" Klein asked.
I shook my head. "No. The Log Out button's the only way." I said.
"That's impossible…there's got to be a way!" he said, denying my statement. "Log Out! Return! Escape!" he shouted. But it's no use. SAO didn't have any voice commands, at least that I know of.
"Klein, it's useless. Not even the manual has anything on emergency log outs." I said to him.
"But….but this is stupid! Even if it's a bug, I can't even go back to my room and my body when I want to!" he shouted. After a few seconds, an idea formed in his head. "Wait, we can just pull the power off. Or take off the [NerveGear]." He said. He moved his hands as if trying to take off an invisible hat.
"Both are impossible. We can't move our real bodies. The [NerveGear] intercepts all the brain signals and reroutes them here." I said to him.
"….so unless someone fixes the bug or somebody takes the gear off, we're stuck here?" Klein asked. I silently nodded. "But…I live by myself. You?" he asked.
"Same here." I said. After a few seconds, I asked "Don't you think it's weird?"
"Well of course. Since it's a bug." Klein said.
"Yes, I know that. But this is a 'can't log out' bug, and that's a big enough problem to bother the game itself. It's a huge economical loss. The server operators should have already shut down the server and logged everyone out yet. They're not idiots." I said.
"Yeah…..you're right." Klein said.
"What could it be…" I asked myself.
I started wondering what was going on. The best possible explanation that I could think of is that an [AIDA] has infected the server. I was reminded about something that was similar like this happening a few months ago. Nobody could log out, just like right now.
Could it be an [AIDA]?
"…the company that owns [SAO], Argus, is well-known for being considerate to its users, right? It's sorta meaningless if they screw up on the first day." Klein said.
"Agreed. And remember, [SAO] is the first VRMMORPG, if something goes wrong, then the whole genre might get screwed." I said.
Ding, ding…. a noise like a bell sounded loudly, making Klein and I jump in surprise. A second later, we were immersed in blue light. I knew what this was….it was a [Teleport]. Did the operators initiate a forced teleport? If so, why didn't they warned us?
The blue light faded. I was no longer in the fields. I was now in the central plaza of [The Town of Beginnings]. I looked around me. Klein was right beside me, and surrounding us were thousands and thousands of players. A few mumbles and mutters were heard, and they got louder and louder.
"Ah….look up!" One of the players said, pointing upwards. The sky was red. There was a pattern of 2 phrases – [Warning] and [System Announcement], written in red.
I was surprised for a moment, then thought the GM would make an announcement and relaxed a bit.
Suddenly, a liquid red like blood started oozing down and started congealing into a shape. It became a 20-metre tall figure wearing a hooded robe. And…it had no face. The robe was empty.
"Players, I welcome you to my world." The figure said. "I am Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only one who can control this world." He said.
I widened my eyes. Kayaba Akihiko. I knew that name. Everyone knew who he was. A genius on quantum physics, he was the person who directed the SAO project and the developer of the NerveGear.
"I think most of you have already discovered that the Log Out button has disappeared. This is not a bug. It is part of the system." He said. "Until you clear this game, you cannot log out." He continued. "Also, if the NerveGear is to be dismantled or removed, then…..your NerveGear would emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain." He said. Everyone started muttering, but there was no panicking. Everyone was either not believing it, or refusing to. "Do not worry, I have already noted the mass-media and the outside world. However, some relatives and friends have ignored this warning. The result…213 players have left this world, and the real world as well." He said. A long, thin scream was heard. But most players couldn't, or refused, to believe it.
I widened my eyes. 213 people. 213, innocent, people, have died. I felt emotions growing inside me. Rage. Hatred. Anger. This man….how dare he….how dare he….
"HOW DARE YOU!" I shouted, breaking the silence. People turned their hands. "How dare you! You…you bastard! YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF 213 PEOPLE! HOW DARE YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT SO CASUALLY! KAYABA AKIHIKO! I WILL KILL YOU!" I shouted.
"Skeith…" Klein said in worry.
The hooded figure chuckled. "Hahaha…. Kill me, eh? I hope you can back that up, player. I will await for you in the 100th floor. And as for the rest of you….do not worry. I have given the outside world 2 hours to transport you to hospitals. Just focus on beating [Sword Art Online]. If you do that, you will all be logged out. And from this point on, [Sword Art Online] is no longer an ordinary game. [Death] in this game is now final. The moment your HP reached 0, the NerveGear would destroy your brain." He said.
"You're lying!"
"Stop this….stop this sick joke!"
"This…this is a joke…right?"
There were mutters like this heard everywhere. No one seemed to believe it…but me. Perhaps it is because I have dealt with something similar, but I believed everything he just said and I wasn't afraid either. I continued glaring at him.
"Then, I will show you evidence this is the truth. In your inventories, there will be a gift from me." He said. The second he said that, me and thousands of other players opened their inventories. Inside, there was an item – named [Hand Mirror]. I tapped the name and pressed the [Make into Object] button, and a rectangular mirror appeared on my hand.
Suddenly, everyone was covered in white light, including me. 2 or 3 seconds later, the light died out, and in front of me, the person who was supposed to be Klein, looked almost completely different. The armor, the bandanna, the sword, they were all the same. But the face….was completely different.
"Who….who are you?" we both asked each other at the same time.
Widening my eyes, I raised the hand mirror in my hand. I saw my reflection. I still had red eyes. However, my white hair has been replaced with light brown hair. I no longer looked like Haseo, instead I looked like….Ryou Misaki, the player of Haseo and Skeith. "It's….me…." I muttered. Klein, who was also looking at his mirror, fell backwards.
"You're Klein!?"
"You're Skeith!?"
We stared at each other in shock.
Around me, the players no longer looked like fantasy warriors. They looked like a bunch of normal people wearing fantasy costumes.
"Now, I have finished the official tutorial of [Sword Art Online]. Players….I wish you luck." Kayaba finished. The hooded figure disappeared. Silence filled the crowd. I knew it wasn't going to last long.
Three, two, one….
"It's a joke right? This….this is just a joke!"
"Stop kidding around! Let me out!
"I don't like this! I want to go home!"
It has started. I cursed. I knew it'll get worse. I grabbed Klein's hand, and dragged him out of the crowd. "Klein…listen to me. We need to get to the next town. If what that bastard said was true, then we need to get stronger. The people who have realized this are going to hunt all the monsters here. I know the way and the most dangerous spots, so we can get there easily." I said.
"But…my friends. They probably have logged in too. I can't leave them." Klein said.
I sighed. This was problematic. I couldn't protect all of them. However…..the more players we have, the higher the chance of surviving we have. "Then let them come with us." I said, surprising him.
"But...experience points aren't shared. We would be slowing you down." Klein argued.
"True. But, if we want to survive this game…..then we need all the help we can get. Teamwork is the strongest weapon – wow that sounded cheesy – so we would need all the teamwork we can get." I told him.
Klein smiled. "Thanks, Skeith. You….are a really great person." He said.
"Great person? I'm far from that, Klein. Now, go get your friends." I told him. He nodded and gone to search for his friends.
As Klein's figure disappeared from the distance, I scowled.
[Sword Art Online] has ceased to be a fun game….it is now a death game.
Kayaba Akihiko….in the name of the 213 players who have died this day, I will kill you….with my own hands.
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End of Chapter 1
Hmm, I wanted to add in episode 2 in this chapter too, but I got lazy, so this would have to do.
Some of you may complain that it's barely different from the first episode of SAO, but well, you will start noticing the differences next chapter.
As you can see, Haseo/Skeith isn't a selfish person like Kirito, so he would fight in parties much more willingly than Kirito. But, he is a VERY cold person, even if it is post-character development.
Also, Haseo/Skeith would get TWO unique skills, the first is of course dual wield, and the other…..that's a secret.
Please tell me what you want as the main pairing! I'll accept anything…..except Yaoi. Should it be a harem? Or should he be with Asuna? Lisbeth? Silica? Argo? Lyfa? WHO?
