Chapter 1: Well Fuck...
Today was finally the day. The day the new MMO Sword Art Online was released with the new VR, the nerve-gear. I camped out in line for an entire day just to be one of the first ones to get a copy. Now was the time to finally put the helmet on and immerse myself in this massive new world of adventure.
I spent a couple of minutes creating my avatar and my username. I ended up deciding on the name Mari Tsu. My character had long black hair. Her left eye was blue while her right eye was hazel and her skin tone was pleasantly fair. I couldn't use a katana right away as I had to earn that skill set, but I planned on using it as soon as I could.
I always had a respect for the history and culture of Japan growing up. My peers never seemed to understand and would often pick on me, but it would be different now. Now that I live in Japan my dream has finally been realized and within this world nobody will have to know about my true origins.
As I opened my eyes I was stunned by how realistic the world of SAO truly was. I quickly decided that the best course of action, like with most MMOs, was to see if I could find a quest in a town to start earning some money to better equip myself. Luckily, there was a town right in front of me not far off.
I entered and started to look around at the various shops and other buildings of interest. What hit me right away was all the kanji on the signs of the buildings. Without being able to read them I had no idea where the hell I was going. After silently cursing the developers for not putting in subtitles, I decided to try to ask someone for directions, but to no avail. Everyone here only spoke Japanese. It seems what I taught myself using Rosetta Stone wasn't quite enough to actually interact. All I could really say was hello and a few random situational phrases. I quickly began to freak out. This was not working the way I thought it would at all! The thought of not being able to interact with anyone even in a video game was eating at me. I've had this issue in real life, but not where I actually physically can't interact!
As I began to really freak out one of the developers sends me a message directly notifying me that a language recognition program was in the process of being developed and had been delayed. It was now available and running. While I was now able to understand what the people around me were saying, I noticed that the kanji on the buildings had not changed. I guess it was just something I would have to get used to.
As I began to wander some more I was suddenly stopped and engulfed in a blue flame. I next found myself in the center of the town where the game's creator, floating godlike in the sky, introduced himself and stated that nobody could log off of SAO until the game is beaten. And the most terrifying part of it all, if your HP reaches zero you will die outside the nerve-gear as well. I ,along with everyone else, stared in stunned silence. Before he left he had a parting "gift" for us. It was a mirror. I looked into the mirror, confused, and was immediately blinded by a light. When I opened my eyes everyone around me appeared different. It took me a moment to realize that the mirror had revealed everybody's true self. The jig was up. Now everybody would know my true background as an American. A foul scent suddenly struck my nose as I looked down and the realization hit that I was now standing in the center of town with over a thousand people in soiled women's clothing. Well fuck...