Chapter 2: How It All Began
Floor 57 (or thereabouts)
I fought a Santa Claus once.
Granted, it's not the one you found at the mall nor the one you found sliding down your chimneys eating your cookies and milks either. It was wet at that time. The constant dripping of water echoes throughout the room. On the wall, a line of torches flickered eerily together as if following a set of routine. Stone walls covered in moss gave an image of humidity despite the cold air circulating around the area. Said area located in the deepest parts of the dungeon is pretty cramped. At the corner, a wooden crate covered in mold can be seen. On top of it, a candle that looks like it was left by someone was giving off its orange glow. The puddle of hardened wax under it suggested that the owner-if there's any-has probably left a long while ago, though there's a chance that it was a field item that was designed just for appearance sake, one can't help but wonder. Occasionally, faint sounds of howling can be heard from the corridor. At first it was enough to warrant some attention that makes one want to stand with their hands ready on their sword, but after a while it just seemed like a waste of energy.
It was wet and it was cold.
I don't remember exactly where I was; floor 57 or thereabouts. If you're wondering what I was doing all alone in a cave on a winter night instead to just curl up in front of the fireplace back at home, it's because of what happened that morning. It was the 24th of December, which of course means the Christmas Eve; and like all other games Aincrad has its own event on days like this. Events in games are usually announced through their own website or forums, since they're not an option in this case they decided to announce every event with a blaring sound of trumpet at 7 AM in the morning of the H-day. Which is why I tortured myself through the seventeen inches thick of snow and a night on a wet stone instead of my warm bed to get some materials for a new equipment. The HP bar above my head is filling up slowly, though I was rather doubtful at first because it doesn't seem like it's moving at all, but I checked it using my finger as a marker and apparently it does, albeit slowly. Boy I sure wish I had one of those top grade potions right now. It's been 20 minutes since I waited here and the situation is still the same.
Having skipped lunch while trudging through the snow made my stomach growled its protest. Even though in this world we can live without sustenance, the feeling of hunger can still make you lose your focus easily, which in battle is a huge disadvantage. That's why I always packed some energy bars for journeys like this one. They're great despite the plain taste. Just eating one can last you for about two hours until the hunger sets in again, and because of the easy packing using the item slot; I can bring as many as I want without them bulging my pockets. As I sat there, chewing through the senbei-like substance I can't help but miss the taste of the food back home. What I wouldn't give for a plateful of black steed steak with gravy poured on top and some onions scattered, accompanied by french fries and a glass of warm tea at the side. Or perhaps a salmon risotto with parmesan cheese and tomato soup. Dessert would be a roundful of custard pie and caramelized cherry sauce on a cracker.
It's funny to think how picky I am towards food nowadays. Considering ever since I was a kid, I never put a thought on what entered my mouth as long as it filled my stomach.
Then a tremor occurred. When I looked at the entrance to this chamber. A hand, a giant hand I might add, green-colored and with visible veins, was bursting its way through the doors. As the figure entered, with his signature red pointy hat and white sack on the back, he turned his head to the lone figure in the room. Me. Then he grinned, showing his yellowed teeth and releasing foul breath as he talked.
"..So..." He cackled as I drew my sword.
"Have you been a bad kid?" with a roar from him, I charged onwards.
...
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, The Code. You wanted to know how it's started.
Well it's a long story, as they say. It's a long story. For that I need to go much further back, to a time when I was just a simple-minded kid, before I knew anything of Aincrad, of Heathcliff, of Kazuto, of the twelve of us. But even that story needs to go way back, back to how this whole incident started. To the time where twenty thousand of us were sentenced to play until we die.
...
It was so sudden.
So sudden in fact that I almost blew the brains out of a poor guy in front of me. I was grinding my level in a forest just north of the Town of Beginning when it happened. Thanks to the fine amount of beta testing I had I got a good grasp of what the layout of this 1st floor would be like. I was at level 2, with level 3 within 20 exp range. My opponent was a rabbit which might have sensed its impending doom and decided to hop away from me as soon as possible. Being a chain sword user has its advantage. It allowed me to use my weapon not unlike a whip. This, however comes with a limited amount of chain which would be added everytime my level gone up, so for now it is quite short. Fortunately, the rabbit jumped a little bit late. Thinking I got this in the bag I throw my sword with a flick of my wrist when suddenly a blue light enveloped me and the next thing I know I was back at the town along with my still-flying sword that charged not towards a rabbit, but a man. Baffled, I altered the trajectory just in the nick of time before being branded a red player, though I managed to cut away a bit of his hair in the process. Sheathing my sword I approached the pale-faced fellow to offer my sincerest apology.
"Sorry about that, I honestly didn't mean to ambush you. It just happened." I tried to explain it as nice as I can but it seems like he was too shocked to form any coherent words so he just nodded slowly and proceeded to walk away from me, and I swear by the way he walked if only there weren't a bunch of people in his way he would've run as fast as he can.
Letting out a sigh of relief (and a bit of guilt) I scanned the situation around me. Apparently we're gathered at the main coliseum of the town, and I said 'we' because the flood of people around me is enough to assume that at the very least half of players-that is, ten thousand-are all present. Mutterings, talkings, shoutings, mumblings, whisperings, all manners of speeches can be overheard from all over the place; and they all point down to the same thing:
What is going on?
At first there were tones of excitement. Which is understandable since this just feels like the same routine as major events in the game. Then 10 minutes passed. Sounds of worries started spreading around, along with a few trying to justify that it's probably because they haven't all gathered yet. Another ten ticked by and silent permeated through the whole stadium, as though it would hurry things along. Another ten passed, and the coliseum now only consists of two parties. Those who shouted in anger, and those who were frozen by fear. Some of them were fed up by the GM and tried to go back to hunt only to be stopped by an invisible wall that shocked them back inside, as if forbidding them to leave this place, like a prisoner. All of us who witnessed the failed attempt quickly tried to use the logout button on our menu screen thinking this was just a bug which would be fixed by tomorrow, though it was clear by their desperate look that it wasn't what they're thinking at all (looking back, I noticed that I might not probably in better shape than them. Seeing that I was trying the same thing). We all pushed the button hoping we'd appear on our own bedroom when suddenly-
*BEEP
That wretched sound spread throughout the place, with everyone still standing at their exact same place. Now the fear won, many tried to slash their way out while some tried by climbing the stone wall, and some curled up in fear, asking for their family members to save them. Then the sky turned red, and all of our eyes were fixed at that one little purple hexagon that seemed so out of place on that blood-like cloud. I squinted my eyes trying to read what it says, and what I saw made me shiver.
*Warning*
*Warning*
*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING**WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING**WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*WARNING*
The sky turned purple, and the screams we were all supposed to let out were not. We were all fixed to our place. Unable to move. To talk. To react. To breathe. To cry, shout, wail.
Hopeless.
Then he showed up. With his snow-white gloves, his crimson-red hood, and his emerald-green embroidery. Covering the skies, as if he's a God. I let out a sad laugh as I noticed what I just compared him to. While the chances are in this world that might be the only correct term you could refer him to.
A God.
A divine being.
He who grasp our lives.
It's a bad joke really.
"..Greetings Players.." he opened up his hands, like a rich man showing his treasures to those below him.
"Welcome to my world."
Right then I knew. That there's no turning back. That we were all sentenced to this hell without us even realizing it. That we were destined to die as his plaything.
It's amazing how fast humans can adapt to their surroundings.
Within two months I was killing monsters like it was a daily thing. The feeling of sword on my hand so familiar like I was born holding it. As I evaded a swing of a club from the goblin in front of me I can't help but be amazed by how quickly I learned how to handle a sword. Even for a program this level of dexterity was nothing sort of amazing, sure I had to perform certain poses at first to activate the automated movement sequence-or skills as they call it-for them to work but it was astounding nonetheless. As I did several backsteps without breaking a sweat I readied my sword at my hip as if putting it to its scabbard, when the orange glow gave out a 'pan' sound I put all my weight to my right foot and jumped. The goblin tilted his head in confusion and I threw my sword like a spear toward its head. The attack was dead on as the blade pierced through the goblin's skull to the puddle of mud below. With a screech it glowed and turned into several coins, materials, and exp points. I wiped an imaginary sweat as I landed and retrieved my sword with a light tug, swinging it several times to wipe off the mud before sheathing it. It's already 8PM when I checked my status screen, which means I've been at it for 6 hours straight. Deciding it's enough for today I started walking to the forest exit and arrived on a dirt path that leads to a farming complex. The long walk back home eased up my mind to think of several things.
By the first month since that day. About one thousand players have died, leaving us a total of nineteen thousand more or less. At first Sword Art Online was designed for Japanese server only, making the total players to ten thousand. However due to the wonders of Internet the news of the beta testing experience has spread like wildfire, with several foreigners that had come to japan solely to try it explaining the game in details, complete with the screenshots they took with their NerveGear. The result appeared in the forms of petitions to Argus with over a million signatures asking them to make it worldwide, hence upping the headcounts to twice its original number. Of course back then nobody expected that it would turn out this way, which makes it kinda tragic for them.
It was pretty dark when I arrived. Snores of tired cattle along the way filled the night like a lullaby. The gentle light from lanterns hanging on the verandas served as local streetlights. As I headed towards one of the house, a couple of elders sitting on their rocking chairs waved a good night in my direction. I returned the kind gesture and entered the door to my house.
...
"About time you got here. I was this close to actually look for you and drag your sorry ass back. If I didn't know you any better I'd say you like killing monsters just for the thrill."
"It's nice to be home too Kazuto."
This rude fellow that just greeted me is a swordsman by the name of Kirigaya Kazuto, with Kirito as his handle in this world. Though he can be a jerk sometimes he's a good man to be called friend. I've known him from my beta testing days where we worked together to defeat a floor boss when others have given up. His sword skill is well above average, making him a great comrade and training partner. Our current standings are at 20 wins out of 30 with me on the lead and honestly most of them are due to luck on my side, though I'll never admit that to him.
"Fine, I'm the jerk for worrying. You should know that Argo just informed me. Apparently the total of Players that died has reached two thousand count." He threw the newspaper at me, and sure enough the headlines on the front spelled the tragedy quite clearly. Not like we had enough trouble being in this situation as it is.
"That bad huh? Although from what they wrote here most of the CODs are due to suicide action."
"What do you expect? It's been two months since we got stuck in this game and we still haven't cleared the first floor. Not to mention that rumor saying this whole thing is just a prank and that 'death is the only way out'. Remember that mass suicide on the fifth day?"
It was a horrific scene straight out of a book. Watching those people jumping off the walls one by one with a crooked smile on their face. Makes me sick. "This says here that other cause is due to lack of experience in playing MMORPG. The usual pattern of this is that Players didn't stock enough item when they grind and/or didn't research the respawn patterns causing entrapment in enemy's territory until they ran out of potions."
"..Guess the Players who's experienced should've helped them.."
For a second there both of us stopped, Kazuto didn't say anything but I knew it got something to do with that red-haired guy he met back in the city.
"Yeah...guess we're both jerks then." I put the newspaper on the table. While switching myself to my house clothes I checked the fridge to see if there's any fresh milk left.
"I almost forgot, how did the meeting go?"
Though I said 'meeting' it's actually more of a gathering of people who agreed to move on from this stagnant situation. Most of them wouldn't admit that they were scared by the idea of facing the Floor Boss, hence why this sort of thing was held. The ones who hosted the event didn't specify any conditions for attending to eliminate any pressure towards potential candidates, so it's actually more of a 'come and take a look' kind of thing. Knowing that this benefits us greatly the Players who grasp the information networks have given their utmost support in spreading the news for free in hope of raising the awareness that there might still be a little chance left in clearing the game. Though the Rat did quite a good job in making both of us pay for it.
"Surprisingly it went very well. The host managed to convince all of them to join the boss battle and currently we have a raid party that consist of 7 6-person group and 1 2-person group. Seeing that we only need 4 more people to reach maximum quota I'd say it's a success."
"Uh-huh, and which one are you in exactly?"
"...The 2-person one, but that's not my fault! Most of the guys there came as a group already!"
Of course I wasn't hoping things to go that smoothly. It's just fun to tease him about this kind of thing once in a while. Covering my laugh with my sleeve, Kazuto eventually smiled himself.
"..right, anyway I assume you're joining the raid so at least that would make the group half full. Let me send the invite," Kazuto remarked as he opened the menu.
Logically speaking, of course it would made sense for me to join. What with me at level 10 and our history in fighting bosses together. However..
"..no."
There was a pause. Kazuto stopped his fingers for a moment. Then he closed the menu screen with a swipe and turned towards me with a blank look.
"..what?"
"I'm not joining the raid. At least, not at this time."
The decision I voiced was answered with a hand that pulled the front of my clothes roughly. I could see the trembling fist he held, no doubt wanting to punch me in the face. Kazuto took a deep breath and we stood like that for a moment, until he spoke.
"...does this have to do with you scared of dying? I thought we're already past that. We took an oath Kazuya!" he looked me in the eye and screamed. "That the both of us would try-even if there's only the two of us out there-that we would finish this game and return to our family! Did you forget about that, or did that mean nothing to you?!" His voice shook, I can feel his body tremble. I could tell he had a desperate look in his eyes looking at me with the hope that I would change my mind.
"Well, I wouldn't say that I'm not scared," he choked with disbelief and tightened his grab on me. Before he managed to punch me I quickly continued. "But, that's not the reason I'm pulling out from this battle, and I certainly didn't forget about our oath. You know that Kazuto."
I assured him, and he seemed neutral for a few moment before releasing my shirt. He turned his back and covered his face with his hands, staying still to gather his thoughts while I fix my collar. After a while he asked.
"..Can you tell me why at least? I have to know what reason could make you prioritize something higher than a boss battle."
"Unfortunately I can't, not now. I need one of us to have his head focused on clearing the floor. When the time comes I'll tell you, but until that I need your trust in this matter."
"..there's no changing your mind huh?" I shook my head in reply and he let out a sigh. "Okay I'll trust you. Whatever this thing is must be quite important for you to be that serious. As for the boss battle, I'll do my best to finish it. But you owe me for this," he said with his finger pointing at me coyly. I said yes with a huge relief seeing Kazuto back to his normal self. After knowing we've put this whole thing behind us I grabbed the newspaper on the table and made myself comfortable on the couch.
"So who's the girl?"
Right after I asked Kazuto froze on his track. Scratching his head, he turned mechanically towards me while playing dumb.
"A ha ha ha... What are you saying Kazuya-san. What g-girl?" Though he tried his best putting on a smile I can see him sweating nervously behind his back. So that's how you wanna play it huh?
"Oh you know.. The one that's taking a bath at this moment." That seemed to got him. He jumped a bit and hit his head on the cupboard. After rubbing his quite swollen head he got a confused look on him wondering how I found out. "Well this Kazuya-san did just acquire the Tracking skill when he reached level 9 and it's telling me that beside the two of us there seems to be another source of activity mainly on the bathroom area, and since the chances of you bringing a guy home to use our bathroom is more unlikely I took a shot that she's in fact, a girl."
Ending my deduction with a haughty grin, and full of satisfaction from seeing my rival trying to cover his reddened face I folded my newspaper and tried to calm him down.
"Look it's really not a big deal. We've been trapped in this game for two months. I won't judge a man for seeking some comfort," okay NOW his face has turned red from embarrassment. But it's really not a big deal. This kind of thing actually happens to a lot of people on the first week of the game. Most of them tried to find someone so that they won't be alone for the night, or perhaps just for a person to talk with, to lessen the burden in some way. "If this really bothers you so much I can sleep downstairs tonight. Just, try to keep it down okay? I had a long day." That seemed to be too much. I can actually see a steam rising above his head while he tried to speak. Maybe I took it too far with that last one, he IS only 14 years old.
"I-IT WASN'T LIKE THAT!" Kazuto shouted. "SHE'S A MEMBER OKAY? FROM OUR RAID GROUP! SHE SAID SHE WANTED TO TAKE A BATH SO I OFFERED OUR PLACE! THAT'S IT! N-NOTHING ELSE! NADA!"
He tried to explain it calmly I guess, though obviously he failed. After gasping for air due to all the screaming he took a seat on the dinner table to calm himself.
When I was sure that he finally calmed down I apologized for taking it a bit far, which he replied with a gesture. After a few minutes he stood up and told me he wanted to hit the sack, so I waved at him and said I'll just finish the newspaper before calling it a night. He nodded and walked up the stairs, not before he sent a message to his friend in the bathroom about me so she won't freak out when she finished. With no one to talk to the living room got quiet pretty quickly save for the sound of pages being flipped and the clock ticking. I don't know how much time passed before the words on the paper got too blurry for me to read but before I know it, the sleep overtook me.
...
*clink...clink...clink*
There's a sweet smell in the air. The sounds of metals clinking together constantly has become some kind of morning alarm with gentle tune. Before I realized that I've woken up I already opened my eyes and was welcomed with blinding light from the window, no doubt it's already morning. My neck felt stiff, probably the result of this hard pillow I seem to be using. With a groan I tried to sit myself up on this...couch?
"..Ah, good morning."
It was an unfamiliar voice, different from anyone I know. When I look at the dinner table I saw a woman with chestnut hair holding a mug filled with warm beverage judging from the steam. Apparently that's where the sweet smell was coming from.
"..Good morning. I take it you're friend of Kaz- Kirito?"
She nodded politely. From the way she handled herself I could tell she probably come from a well-mannered family. Though it might just be from the awkwardness of meeting a stranger.
"Yes, my name is Asuna. I'm on the same raid group as Kirito-san. You must be his brother Kuromiya."
Kuromiya is my handle in this world. Back in beta testing days I used my real name when I registered myself. After meeting Kazuto I learned that it's best to pick a nickname when playing this type of game, to avoid some confrontation I might had in real life. Of course back then we didn't know that our nickname would be a permanent thing.
"Oh no no, we're just friends. Though I am older than him."
I waved my answer at her. This isn't the first time people thought we were related. Back in beta testing, due to us spending a lot of time together most people assumed we were brothers of some kind. We once got famous for being the 'Frontline Brothers' as we participated in almost every boss battle together. Eventually the rumors spread too wide for us to handle so we decided to just let it as it is, not like it bring harms whatsoever.
"Oh please excuse me. I just assumed-"
"Don't worry, I'm used to it. In fact it would be weirder if you didn't see it that way. Kirito does act like a spoiled little brother sometimes."
That managed to get a chuckle out of her. Now that we've broken the ice we started to have a little chat after I fixed myself up with some warm milk of my own. She told me that she met Kirito when she almost died from challenging a field boss all by herself. She also told me how strict her family is and how scared she was to disappoint her mother, making her challenge the field boss in haste. In return I told her about my own family and how I got an older sister who's in college. Asuna told me about her older brother who works at the family company and apparently the one who bought SAO in the first place. Then I told her about the beta testing days I had with Kazuto-though I refer to him as Kirito for the whole conversation-and how we got to known each other through the boss battle. She finished her drink by the time I finished. I remarked about her knowing the free milk we received in the morning and she replied with a smile. She informed me on how Kirito introduced her to the wonders of cream-covered bread and the magnificence that is our bathroom. I agreed when she pointed out how wonderful it is to have found these kinds of gems inside the game, it is only a matter of finding the right information after all.
Not long after that the sound of someone walking down the stairs filled the room. About time he woke up.
"Fuaaa~~ Good morning you two.."
Groggy greetings as usual. Seeing him acting all slouchy with severe case of morning hair shared us a little laugh.
"Well you two certainly got close," he replied while combing his hair with his hand. "We better get going now Asuna-san, wouldn't want to make that Kibao guy angrier than he is."
Asuna sighed at the mention of that name. Seems like the frontlines have troubles on their own.
"Well then, best of luck to the both of you." I cleared up the dirty mugs to the sink before excusing myself to the bathroom, of course there's no such thing as perspiration in this world but a warm bath would really do my stiff neck some good.
"Wait, you're not joining us Kuromiya-san?" Asuna asked.
"I'm afraid I have an urgent matter at hand, though I'm leaving you in Kirito's very capable hands." I answered, tapping Kazuto's shoulders in progress. The three of us shared a brief laugh before I waved goodbye at them from the front door. Now that I'm alone in the house I filled the bathtub with warm water and soaked myself; letting out a satisfied sigh. Basking in the warmth, I closed my eyes and sunk into the water completely.
Now then, I thought to myself. Time to collect the reward.
A/N: Hiya everyone! It's me Fukoneko, former BadLuckExpert (though no change in luck whatsoever). I was browsing fanfic when i realize i had this story on my profile and decided to finally get on with the writing once more. So basically this story is gonna be about SAO with slight change on the main story. The protagonist in this one is mainly my own OC and Kirito-kun himself, though the former would have a lot more screentime because the events are still the same in SAO so think of this as some kind of 'behind-the-scene' works while Kirito is out there fighting bosses and collecting women. Anywho, for those of you who actually follows this story (very few i think) expect a slow update and bad writing coming your way. I am very new in this whole writing business so reviews and critiques will be highly appreciated. See you next chapter!
