Author's Notes: I'll be separating the roster from the rest of this into a separate 'story' so that things are better organized and also so that I can make any updates that much easier for future reference. Speaking of, expect a pretty big update on the Black Legion roster in the near future once I get ahold of my remaining partner and we go over what we need to together before posting it up. At any rate, thank you for your patience guys and gals, and I HOPE this updated chapter works for you folks. See ya!
Chapter 2: Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
Shepard opened her eyes to a world of chaos and screaming as she spun around, noting the large medieval town in the distance with the sun shining brightly overhead. "Just like old times." She muttered aloud, unpleasant memories buried in the back of her mind, but never truly forgotten, resurfaced at the all too familiar sounds of pandemonium in the distance. Even so, she pushed them to the side before charging towards the walled town. Stone structures and wooden houses and buildings were just visible above the walls, but beyond a quick glance, Shepard had eyes only for the large wooden gates where dozens of desperate people were milling about. Without a thought, she charged headlong into the chaos. Alright marine, it's officially time to get this shit unfucked.
The first thing she noticed as she charged forward was a young boy who ran right up to her, wild eyed and panting heavily. "Hey! You gotta help me! I need to get out of here! Quick, accept my duel request!" Shepard stared calmly at the frantic young boy blocking her path, all but ignoring the pop up window that had appeared in front of her, before head butting him in the face. He fell to the ground and glared up at her in disbelief, stunned at her rather blatant refusal rather than any pain he might've been feeling. "What the?! I said duel me! I don't want to be stuck here!"
Jesus Christ, he barely looks twelve. Trapped here or not, he doesn't belong in a game like this in the first place. Dammit. I don't have time to hold his hand either, not yet. Time for a bit of tough love. "Get your sh-crap together then. You can follow me or I'll carry you if I have to, but I have someone here that's trapped, and I'm not about to let her die in this damn game." Shepard stated firmly and continued pushing forward.
"You came in here on purpose?! You're crazy lady!" Without another word, the young human stumbled to his feet and started to run off, no doubt to find someone willing to take him out in a fool's hope of being freed from the game. He'd also be freed from the rest of his life if someone did agree to PK him.
Damn it. He won't survive the night, not on his own. This was the last thing she needed right now, and she only sighed and shook her head. She had long ago come to terms with the idea that if she didn't give a shit, no one else was going to. Despite the fact being some sort of paragon of virtue was usually a colossal pain in the ass, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. With a sigh, she looked over her shoulder and called after the running kid.
"Hey! At least head towards town." Shepard muttered, as she took a few quick steps back and caught him by the scruff of his neck before he could get far. He went down hard a second time, but she pulled him to his feet with a single, strong pull of his arm. "If you want to live, you'll go to town, now."
"Lemme go! Lemme go!" The terrified blonde boy shouted as he squirmed out of her light grip and started for the surrounding hills. He didn't get far before Shepard tripped him, letting him stumble to the ground before she scooped him up and slung him over her shoulder. "Hey! Put me down already you old bag!"
"I tried to be nice kid. This is me being very nice by not leaving your whiny little butt out here alone. So be quiet and enjoy the ride." With an annoyed sigh, Shepard turned back towards the chaos behind her and took off at a run towards the walled town. A Town of Beginnings, one of several on the first floor. Technically there was one central town that bore the name the Town of New Beginnings, but they all functioned the same way. They acted as safe zones, where no monsters or PKing was allowed, it'd do as a starting point and a place to get her bearings. I owe Val for getting me into the beta when she did, otherwise I might have been fumbling in the dark. She was no stranger to gaming, but SAO was a different monster altogether. Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and their spin offs, as well as their respective sequels, had turned out to be cakewalks by comparison.
Valara, Lennoria, I'm coming. Shepard vowed, and didn't stop in her mad dash to the town even when a gray pelted wolf appeared right in front of her. "Bad move buddy." She growled, and drew the basic straight sword from her back, sidestepping the animal's lunge even with the squealing boy on her shoulder, and decapitated it all in one fluid move.
"AAAHHHHH! You're gonna get us both killed!" He screamed, tucking his head against her neck before slamming his hazel eyes shut.
"Not today kid." Shepard ignored the urge to belt out a corny one liner after the wolf disappeared as she continued her rapid dash across the field, just reaching the town gates as another wave of hundreds of people ran out. She blinked when she swore she saw a krogan wearing a dress, among a number of strange oddities of the same variety, but hardly paid them a second glance.
She had far more important things to worry about. Like the talking migraine on her shoulder. "I'm not a baby you know! I can walk!"
"Then stop giving me a headache and stay beside me." Shepard growled as she unceremoniously plopped him down, quick to grab his arm before he got any ideas as she opened her game menu with her free hand. Thank God we pre arranged our starting town. I should be able to find Val easily enough out of only a few thousand players by checking my friends list for her location. That is if that bastard GM didn't disable anything between the beta test and the live game. With any luck, Lenn should be with her.
Shepard hardly broke her rapid stride as she pulled up the holographic interface menu with her free hand, and smirked as she found Val's icon near the town market. That's my girl, preparing for the Hell that's about to follow. I knew I raised you right. "Val! Lenn!" She called out, pushing her way through the masses as they tried to run past her to either gather as much experience and money as they could before the rest of the players, or they were just running, trying to make sense of a senseless situation. She wasn't like them however, and she had people counting on her. To that end, she kept calling out for her daughter and her best friend. Then Shepard saw something, a petite flash of sky blue skin and a familiar set of emerald eyes. "Val?!"
"Dad? DAD?!" Val shouted, her eyes wide in shock as she turned, relief flooding her from head to foot. Before a twisting, creeping dread filled her stomach. "Dad, what are you doing here?!" The young asari asked even as she wrapped her arms around Shepard's chest tightly, completely ignoring the blonde boy Shepard had dragged along with her.
"Everyone knows what's going on, so I came here to help you get out of this mess." Shepard replied, her face buried against Val's neck. "There was no way I was leaving you and Lenn alone. Your mom's already getting the old crew together, they're gonna try to fix this mess from the outside."
Val gave a relieved quiet laugh as she finally pulled away and looked up into Vivian's face. "And by fixing you mean hunting down that psycho Akihiko Kayaba, forcing him to let us log out, and then shooting him in the face?"
"If that's what it takes. Knowing your mom, the shooting him in the face part will purely be for fun. If she doesn't flay his skin off with her mind." Viv stated, smirking as the boy hid behind her leg the moment he saw the expression on Val's face. Viv ignored him for now, and looked around for Val's friend. "Where's Lenn?"
"She's fine, she went to try and gather some supplies for what's coming. I told her we'll need all the stuff we can get so we can start leveling up. It's the only way we're getting out of here." Val explained and nodded her head towards the right, where she had sent the turian in question not moments ago. Cocking her head to the side, she glanced around her mother at the young blonde boy cowering behind her. "Who's your new friend?"
"Um….uh….Bradley." He stammered out, his cheeks flushed, and briefly stuck his head out before jerking away again.
"He's a stray, but you know me, I couldn't leave him defenseless." Shepard smiled, honestly proud of the fact Valara had already taken charge of the situation. "Good girl by the way. Glad to see all those tactical lessons are paying off."
"Didn't help when I played against you though." Val stated and put her hands on her hips as she stared at the badly hidden boy. "You can come out now Brad. We're not going to hurt you... not unless you have some decent loot that is." She snarked with a grin, rolling her eyes at her mother's disapproving glare as Bradley wrapped himself around Vivian's leg for dear life. "Looks like you have something growing on your leg there dad."
"Very funny. Ignore her Bradley, Valara's not as funny as she likes to think she is." Glancing up from the boy, Shepard cocked an eyebrow as Val tried to hide a decidedly jealous frown. "And I thought you'd know that a good soldier never gives away all her secrets Val. Come on, let's see if we can get things a little more organized around here. Start grabbing anyone not running in circles. If they're crying on the ground, rocking back and forth, give them a kick in the ass. Better to piss them off rather than let them be desperate and stupid."
"Yes ma'am." Val sarcastically replied and grinned as she threw her dad a similarly snark laced salute. Even if they were in neck deep in trouble, it was a defense mechanism to be a pain in her father's ass. Shepard knew that and only rolled her eyes in retort before leading the way to find Lenn. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by a curious trio standing nearby.
"There's a woman that knows what she's doing." The man in the middle told his equally intrigued friends. He was skinny as a rail, with hazel eyes, dark brown skin, and messy, short brown hair, a long sword and shield strapped to his back. While he was in basic starter gear like almost everyone else, he was the 'biggest' of the trio, with heavy steel plate mail covering him from the neck down, painted a dark shade of black, due to his skinny frame the heavy armor seemed to swallow him whole. He had 'rolled' a tanking knight, in terms of equipment and stats, even though SAO had no class system whatsoever. He gazed at his closest friends expectantly even as he lightly scratched his stubbled chin with his armored gauntlets, his large armored hands seemingly weapons in and of themselves.
"Holy shit Mike, do you know who that is?!" The tallest of the three, Scott, muttered excitedly. He was chubbier than the others, with short cropped brown hair and light blue eyes. Clad in black medium splint mail with red and white trim, with a long sword and similarly painted shield strapped to his back. Scott liked to think of himself as a vanguard, in the more traditional sense of the word. He was a front runner, charging into battle like a berserker, dealing damage, keeping himself mobile while keeping his enemies off balance. His long and strong legs served him well in his chosen tactic as he had no trouble in outrunning most opponents even as his arms rained down blows upon them. His sun kissed skin glinted lightly in the late afternoon sun as he cocked his head in wonderment, a wry grin on his face that pulled the crescent scar on his right cheek taunt.
"Geez, calm down Scott. I'm fully aware of who that is, but in here, she's like everyone else. She might be the greatest leader the galaxy has ever seen, but her power's limited here. Besides, you heard her, she only submitted herself to this damn messed up death game so she could save her daughter. That's beyond admirable in my book." Mike replied before he pushed off from the wall. "I'd rather have her on my side than against me."
"Indeed, we should all be so fortunate to have such loyal friends." The last and youngest of the trio said, gazing at the little family with his dark brown eyes. Unlike his friends, he had opted for a single 'hand and a half' sword. Also quite unlike his friends, he usually only spoke if he had something important to say. Dressed in light platemail similar to Mike, Isaac had a gray wolf head engraved in the front of his chest, set against a midnight black field. While he dealt out damage like it was nobody's business, Isaac preferred to play defensively, letting his opponents come to him, making him the perfect guardian. One of his nimble fingered hands moved his medium length dark brown hair, which appeared to be almost black, out of his eyes and stared at the reunion in contemplation. His skin was a paler shade then either of his friends, telling anyone that he didn't get much exposure to the sun.
"So... who's going to talk to her first?" Scott hesitantly asked, as he turned around only to find Mike and Isaac smirking with their fingers slowly tapping their noses. "Oh, real mature guys."
"Says the perpetual hound dog." Mike retorted with a smirk thrown over his shoulder before he started after the legendary Commander Vivian Shepard. "While you continue drooling, I'm going to see what the resident galactic hero has in mind. Come on Isaac." Isaac only nodded silently before he fell in step beside Mike, leaving Scott to catch up and stumble past them, managing to reach Shepard first.
"Um, hello ladies. Wow... you're really her." Scott said in awe, nervously greeting the woman after he ran ahead of his two friends to her small group. With the street pretty empty by this point, it had been easy to catch up.
"Commander Shepard, it's an honor." Isaac said with a small nod of admiration before falling silent again.
Mike subtly held out his hands to stop his friends short when he sensed Shepard tensing at their approach. He'd seen enough vids, both fictional and otherwise, to know that you didn't just run up to an Alliance marine without a damn good reason. It certainly didn't help that the young boy she was clearly protecting darted out of sight behind her yet again. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry for my friend's idiocy, he's always been the thick headed one." Mike threw over his shoulder towards Scott before facing forward once more. "But suffice it to say, we figured you'd take any help you could get ma'am."
"Val. Do you know these guys?" The asari only shook her head before Vivian's gaze fell on Scott's information. "Wait... N7FNG_WannaBe? What the hell kinda name is that?" Her emerald gaze narrowed to two fiery slits as she spotted an N7 decal on Scott's armor. "And why is that on your gear?"
Scott visibly paled as she glared at him while Mike sighed, having expected this to occur in the highly unlikely event ran into the real Shepard. Or any other real life ex or active special forces veteran for that matter. Isaac's expression and stance remained impassive, but Mike was fairly sure he was glaring holes into Scott's head as he fumbled for a response that wouldn't end with him getting gutted. "I um, ah... it seemed like a good idea at the time?"
"Commander, I believe we have more pressing concerns at the moment than my friend's tasteless fashion sense, wouldn't you agree?" Isaac questioned respectfully but firmly.
"He's got a point dad. We need to find Lenn and get ourselves moving, now." The young asari stated, earning a short glare from Vivian, but she nodded and started away. After walking a few steps she paused and glanced towards the faux N7, her own emerald eyes narrowing in annoyance. "As much as I agree with your quiet friend, I'm still going to say it before my father most likely says tells you with her boot in your ass. I'd remove that the first chance you get. You haven't done anything to deserve it, and you're dishonoring those that have." With that, she too walked away, leaving the trio breathing a collective sigh of relief.
"He looks dumb." Bradley offered with a confused hazel stare before darting back into cover.
"Hey you little brat, I'll have you know this is a perfect repli-" Scott jumped when a talon clacked on his armored shoulder.
Turning on his heel, he saw a gray eyed turian teenager staring back at him. "Wow, you must really have a death wish fatty."
"Hey! I'm not fat... I'm just big boned, and it's not like it's my fault the damn mirror items altered our avatars." An indignant Scott fired back.
"Right, says the ball of dough that is wearing an N7 he didn't earn, in the middle of a crisis no less. And as you just said, it only altered your avatar, not your armor, bosh'tet. I'd listen to my friend Val, and lose it, fast." Lenn's attention was turned to the front when Shepard called over her shoulder.
"Enough! All of you, get moving. This place is going to be a killing field when the sun does down." Shepard told them in her 'Commander' voice, which usually even managed to get Val to think twice about questioning her.
But today obviously wasn't an usual day. "Dad, relax, you can't PK someone in a safe zone, even if you accept a duel invite, remember?"
"I don't give a sh-crap about made up rules when the stakes are life and death. Besides, the GM could change those rules if he has a mind to. I'm not taking any chances having you two around thousands of scared, desperate people." I've turned into Jack….today is just getting weirder by the second. Shepard blanched at the thought, even if her self censoring was only for her new blonde towheaded 'sidekick'.
"Even so, some rules can't be broken, not in a game. And crazy as Kayaba is, I don't think he's that much of a megalomaniac. You didn't hear his introduction to the masses. He was rather kind about all this, in a detached, cold sort of way. Kinda reminded me of Aunt Miranda now that I think about it. But I won't argue the point because I agree with you, mostly." Val retorted as she crossed her arms and glared up at Vivian.
"You can't blame me for being cautious." Viv grumbled, but smirked down after returning her daughter's glare for several tense seconds during which Bradley's worried hazel gaze ping ponged rapidly back and forth between them.
"I suggest heading to one of the other, smaller beginner villages, one with less people, and spend the night in one of the hotels. It's impossible for players to get into a room without permission." Isaac, otherwise known as Dirhael in game, told them and began moving, apparently unconcerned. "Besides, we can take out anything on the way, earning some experience and money."
"Oh sh-crap!" Everyone turned to stare at Scott as he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck.
"Where's all the scrap everybody keeps talking about, I don't see any..." Bradley asked as he put a finger against his chin and looked around.
"Um, nevermind about that. But it just occurred to me, what if say, I were to send you a duel invite when you're sleeping?" Mike stiffened, surprised by Scott's line of thought since if he was right, that meant they wouldn't want to be caught napping without someone standing guard.
"Brad, cover your ears. Now." Val sternly told the boy before her 'father' got the chance. The boy rapidly nodded and did as he was told, slamming his eyes shut as well, just to be safe. The moment he did, the young asari opened her mouth. "If I catch any of you cheating, I'll personally shove my size nine up your ass." With that, Val gently nudged the boy on his shoulder to get his attention. "Brad... Brad? Okay, we're good."
"Anyone could potentially get you to accept the duel while you're out and kill you, no trouble. Spirits, that's not good." Lenn slapped a taloned hand over her face before giving Scott a grin. "Someone's smarter than they look."
"Scott and I had plans to go PVPing against other PKers, and 'pirate' criminal guilds every now and again. But with this becoming a life or death situation, that's obviously out." Mike explained before anyone could ask why Scott had thought of it in the first place.
Shepard gave the two of them a thoughtful glance, mildly surprised that they had planned to go for the same in game 'career choice' she had initially decided on. Now, anyone stupid enough to attack a player in her presence was still going to find that out the hard way, and pay a far steeper cost.
"Unless you don't care about the possible consequences." Dirhael all but whispered in response, continuing their earlier line of thought. "If it is possible, then we'll need someone to stand guard should we ever find ourselves sleeping outside." Isaac concluded, clearly unsettled by the thought of being killed in his sleep.
"Only a coward would do that, but consider where we are. If today was any example, then we can expect a lot of trouble." Mike stated as he fell in line with Isaac.
"Or someone who really wants you dead." Isaac agreed with his friend. Already he was trying to think up ways to keep everyone in their little group safe, no matter what.
"Okay, that's it. I am officially never sleeping again." Scott concluded with a worried shake of his head.
"Unfortunately we don't have a choice. This game is as lifelike as you can get. Short of going to the bathroom, we still have to do everything else such as eating and sleeping, even showering." Mike replied and ran a hand down his face. "This just got complicated."
Val grinned and glanced up at her dad with a wink. "Can we keep them?" Wacking Bradley on the shoulder, she gently tugged a hand away from his ear. "You can listen now silly."
"Oh….sorry." Bradley blushed and nodded his head in reply as he lowered his hands to his sides.
"There's always strength in numbers." Viv mused aloud, before returning the wink as subtly as she could before rounding on the trio. Mike gulped when he was the first to see the cold, stern look plastered on her face. "I'm going to say this once. Brad, ears now." Shepard said without even looking to see if the boy heard her. "If any of you try anything with Val or Lenn, I will personally rip your balls off and sell them to a krogan. Brad! You can stop now."
"We're not exactly helpless though. Well, Val isn't anyway." Lenn replied as she fingered the daggers on her belt, as well as the bandolier of throwing daggers that ran down one shoulder and to the other side of her waist. Val simply sighed and shook her head, even as her hand strayed to the shortsword on her back.
"If you are done threatening my friends over irrelevant things then perhaps we could get moving." Isaac suggested sharply with a glare at the group.
"Alright. I can deal with you at least kid." Vivian muttered with a smirk as Lenn started flicking through her item menu. "And our squad mascot here... someone please take his hands off his damn ears." Val giggled but nodded before reaching out to do just that for the second time that day.
"Alright, this is everything the NPC vendors had that I thought might be useful." With a flick of her talon, a small pile of items appeared on the ground in front of her. "It's not much, even with the money Val had after transferring her data from the beta test, but there should be some healing potions, crystals, and the like."
"Not bad Lenn." Val replied, before helping herself to a couple of the healing items before tossing a few teleport crystals towards their new allies while keeping one for herself, Lenn, Bradley, and her dad. "You know how to use those I hope?"
"Of course. Um, mind tossing me one of those bottles?" Mike asked, pointing to the small pile of healing potions that Shepard and Lenn were rapidly dividing between themselves, while shoving a couple Brad's way.
"You get hurt, I might give you one." Val shot back, grinning as she casually tossed another one to Bradley before picking up one of the beginner level +2 Def bronze bangles. "That should help a little." Shepard didn't ask before she took two of the simple accessory items, slipping one on Bradley's arm before equipping her own. "Equipment hog." Val snickered in response even as she nodded her approval at her dad's actions.
"Beta lover." Viv retorted, smirking when Val stuck out her tongue at her. "And don't try and deny it, you tore apart any game you got your hands on when you were still in diapers. And afterwards."
"Where do you think I got it from?" Val countered without missing a beat.
"Huh, never would have guessed you two were gamers." Mike mused, chuckling when they turned to look at him. "It's actually kinda nice that you have something in common. My folks always gave me weird looks anytime I brought up my hobbies."
"Ditto." Scott muttered with a knowing frown.
"They also like to beat up butt kissers." Lenn offered with a smirk towards their young charge as she slipped the last bangle on her arm.
"So ah Commander S-, seriously?" A laughing Scott flinched as Shepard cast him another death glare. "Nevermind. Totally doesn't matter."
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Vivian asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Um, dad, you get a chance to glance at your player ID?" Val asked, her cheeks turning a shade darker when she read the name attached to her information card.
"I was busy trying to rescue you and Lenn." Shepard muttered as her eyes flicked to the top left of her HUD. "Oh you have got to be kiddin' me! SexyCommander69?! Dammit, Liara must have hacked into my beta account again." Mike had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing at the revelation, but his quiet snickers were loud enough to earn a withering glare that had him turning white as a ghost. "Not so funny now is it StarWanderer83?"
"No ma'am, of course not ma'am." Mike replied in a hurry and raised his hands in a placating gesture.
"Christ I'd take the wannabe Conrad's name over this." Vivian said with a groan, shoving a thumb Scott's way.
"Hey! ... And I would be more than happy to ma'am, if I could." Scott quickly added before a thought suddenly struck him. "Idea! Could you please accept my trade request CommanderSe-hepard."
Shepard's eye twitched at the near miss, but nodded her head when the trade menu popped up. She smirked when she saw what Scott was trying to give her. She returned the gesture as she sent him something in return. "Thanks kid. You might just live after all." She replied as her new N7 replica armor began forming to her unique figure without needing any adjustments on her part. The same thing happened with Scott's, except when the light dimmed around the young man, it was revealed that she had sent her simple flat steel breastplate and leather undersuit to his inventory rather than an equip slot swap. Hence why he was now down to his brown leather boxer briefs.
"What the hell?!" Scott roared when he realized what she'd done to him before he rapidly equipped the simple armor she'd given to him. "That was seriously uncool!"
"I thought we agreed to leave the petty insults and threats behind us? If we cannot get along, then we shouldn't travel together, at all." Isaac said bluntly, making it clear he was tired of hearing his friends insulted and threatened the whole time. That didn't stop him from remarking on his friend's choice of boxers though. "Also, Hello Kitty underwear Scott, really?"
"Don't….start." Scott groaned, a vein visibly pulsing in his forehead, absolutely mortified as he snapped his gaze up to Dirhael's face and pointed a finger in his direction. "And they were plain boxer briefs you jerk!"
"That's not what it said on the back." Lenn muttered quietly to herself. "Cute butt though."
"Dirhael huh? I'm starting to see it's a good choice for you kid." Shepard stated, conveniently ignoring the smirking turian after falling silent for a few seconds. "Alright, I'll play nice from here on, so long as nobody... makes me grumpy." Shepard said, rapidly correcting her original thought yet again for Bradley's benefit.
"Finally." Val grumbled while Lenn only rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement. "Come on, if the map hasn't completely changed since beta, there should be a good hunting spot about a kilometer west of here. The next town over, Genesis, is only another two kilometers beyond that."
"You heard the little lady. Let's move." Shepard told them with a proud smirk as she followed her daughter out of the main city gate.
"That's our cue." Mike said, all business once more before he pulled up his menu. "Might as well make this official and party up. Ma'am, Val, Lenn was it? Mind accepting our invites?" A round of nods was all the response he got, but it was enough for him. A few seconds later saw their group go from three to seven. Bradley, much to their pleasant surprise, didn't need any help in navigating his own menus. "Alright, we'll be able to track each other's health a lot easier this way. The friend invites can wait until we've earned some trust."
"Right." Scott said with a nod, surreptitiously closing his friend invite window as he pulled out his shield and longsword. "Should be fairly safe right around town, but I've noticed a few stray wolves popping up here and there. Better safe than sorry right?"
Vivian glanced over her shoulder at the man, giving him a quick once over. "Huh. Looks like I might not have to beat some sense into you after all WannaBe."
"He has his moments." Isaac told her with a shrug.
"Not many though." Mike chimed in, chuckling before his hazel eyes fixated on the first of many enemies they'd have to kill if they wanted a chance later. "Speaking of moments, this one's mine!" With a roar, Mike charged, shield leading. Slamming it into the wolf's face as it lunged, he swung his sword down, piercing its chest. The beast disappeared in a deceptively beautiful flash of red pixels. "One down, twenty thousand to go." He quipped as he sheathed his sword with a flourish.
"Wiseass. Nice moves Wanderer." Shepard admitted as she unsheathed her straight sword, calmly glancing at the blade as she flicked it with her thumb, nodding in approval at the razor sharp edge. The subtle threat was received by the trio of guys but went over a grinning Bradley's head as they gulped once again. "So, what level is everyone at, and do yourselves a favor. Be honest. I'll know if you're lying."
"Three." Mike stated with a shrug. "I had some time to kill waiting on Scott the WannaBe." He jerked his head towards Scott before looking towards their new companions.
"Four. Got lucky and found a bunch of boars while I was looking for him." Scott said with a smug smirk when Mike shot him a dark look.
"Seven." Issac simply stated with a shrug.
"What the hell dude?! Seven?!" Scott asked incredulously.
Dirhael snapped his gaze up and glared, showing his first true hint of anger in the process. "If you knew when to pick your battles, you might not have gotten killed by that angry plant-thing we ran into. I had to finish it off while you recovered in town before this trap was sprung on us." It was the most Dirhael had said yet.
Shepard rapidly thought up a basic plan of attack, with a goal in mind of evening out the group as quickly as possible. "Okay, Dirhael hangs back and watches our backs for a bit. Wanderer, WannaBe, you two block for us while Val, Lenn and I go for a few quick kills. I'm only at two and I doubt they're any higher."
"Hey! I'm three... and a half." Val said defensively. "Beta testing kicked my butt alright?!"
"Since I only just started today, I'm only at one." Lenn grimaced down at her petite blue friend. "Hopefully that'll change soon though."
"Alright, let's just focus on getting everyone to ten right now. Then we should be able to take on the floor boss without any trouble." Shepard rolled her eyes when she noticed Val quirking her eye ridges. "What? Some people read the guide." Val's response was to stomp away, muttering a string of curses with every step.
Before Shepard could follow after her, she heard an annoying tapping on her armored leggings. "Um, what am I supposed to do?" Bradley asked, wide eyed at the thought of monsters that could very easily hurt him back now.
Still, Vivian glanced down at him with a proud grin, surprised he was getting over his earlier, near paralyzing fear so quickly. "Well...while the others are powering up, someone will always be at your side kiddo. We'll protect you until we know there's a safe place you can stay. Until then... how about a few pointers in live combat exercises?"
"Alright!" Bradley replied, smiling widely up at Vivian for her offer. "You won't regret it!"
Shepard chuckled warmly down at the young boy in response. "Just don't lose your cool and you'll be fine."
"And I thought Scott didn't like to lose." Mike observed with a grin when he directed his gaze towards the asari's back.
"I'm not a bad loser. I'm just averse to failure... and unnecessary risk." Scott muttered quietly.
Mike felt his eyebrows shoot up to his red hairline at the 'revelation'. He was fully aware of Scott's shortcomings, having met him and Isaac on another game. "So that's why you begged me for that easy kill in Gun Gale, you were averse to that hot blonde thinking you were a crappy shot."
"Mostly." Scott admitted with a huge grin.
"So no throwing knives for the geek, got it." Lenn muttered. "Wouldn't want you to lose an eye."
"You realize no one uses throwing weapons against regular monsters right?" Scott retorted as his right eye twitched.
"They just don't have my finesse." Lenn replied as she pulled a blade from her belt, the empty sheath immediately forming a new one, and casually flicked the small throwing blade towards a nearby wild boar. The blue skinned beast immediately let out a pained squeal of surprise, falling to its side, dead before it hit the grass and exploding into red crystalline shards. "Sliced and diced." Lenn stated, a smug gleam in her grey eyes as she sauntered away after claiming her spoils the moment the menu popped up in front of her, her throwing knife among the items listed.
"Sheesh." Scott did a double take, not quite believing his own eyes. "Alright, let me show you how to take out a mob with some style!" Charging towards a boar with his shield and longsword raised, Scott swung at the beast with a yell of triumph. The boar, completely unphased by his attack, idly moved out of the way at the last moment, sending him careening into the dirt when his blade SWOOSHED through empty air.
"Bradley, now pay attention. This is how an idiot fights, with no regard for his own safety." Val stated as Scott missed his target, only for a second boar to charge into his back right as the first brought its sharp tusks to bear on him. The asari slapped a hand over her face before pulling her own sword. "This is how it's done." Scott was in no immediate danger since boars were the weakest enemy in SAO, and since they were hardly doing any damage to the idiot, Valara took her time as she closed the distance between them. "Take the time to analyze the area, make sure there's no one about to stab you in the back. Prepare your strike when you're within range, and don't hesitate. Hesitation can get you killed."
"Got it!" Bradley said with a nod as he studied his surroundings.
"A little help here might be nice!" Scott yelped as a boar stepped on his face before kicking him in the chest when he tried to sit up. "Ow. FYI, I think we can feel pain from mob attacks now, just sayin'."
"I can't believe I willingly associate with him." Mike grumbled and blew out an exasperated breath. "You're embarrassing us Scott!"
"I wouldn't be so quick to degrade him." Isaac softly stated, sensing an ulterior motive behind Scott's antics as he theatrically began to moan and roll on the grassy hill. From the way he kept glancing to see if Bradley had jumped in, he was obviously trying to help the boy get over his fear with a little self deprecating humor.
Valara had since closed the distance by this point. Before any of them could blink, one boar had been cut in half before Val took a running leap and jumped down on the second animal's back. The short sword pierced clean through, moments after the asari had jumped clear of the dead animal, stopping less than an inch from Scott's chest plate.
"What the?! What was that?!" Scott yelped, checking the front of his armor to make sure her strikes hadn't pierced it or him by extension.
"To put it in gamer lingo, I 'rolled' an assassin class. I know SAO doesn't have classes, but it's what I chose to build my character around. Single powerful, devastating attacks, built to capitalize on my enemy's weaknesses before they even know I'm there." Val explained as she sheathed her blade just as quickly as she had struck.
"So you hit and run." Dirhael stated, and received a nod from the asari. "It's not a bad way to fight, especially in this game now."
"Only if I have room to move, but yes." Valara replied as she dusted herself off. The few specks of dirt that had found its way on her light leathers, a metal pauldron on her right shoulder, disappeared when she brushed it off. "I know it's a risky way to go, but it pays off well when it works."
"It's when it doesn't work that I worry." Shepard muttered before looking towards the distant sun. Created by the game's powerful graphics engines as it might be, it was still a beautiful sight, but it was just another reminder of the gilded cage they found themselves in now. "After all, sometimes your attacks can fail if you don't carry it out perfectly, especially with the higher end ones." Val raised a mildly surprised eye ridge, considering that her father was more of a dive in and play sort of gamer. "What? So maybe I read the guide cover to cover before we got accepted into the beta." Because I wanted to impress you... and be able to kick your ass at your own game. So much for the latter idea. Shepard quietly admitted to herself.
Val, to her surprise, only smiled up at her before saying. "Then it's a good thing I have you here dad. You trained with Thane, one of the galaxy's most deadly assassins. I figure something must have stuck in the time you… knew him." She trailed off, immediately regretting her choice of words.
But Shepard merely waved her off, having gotten over the loss long ago. "He was a good man, even if I was still madly in love with Liara when I met him. He'd have loved you kid. As for anything I might have picked up from him, well, I might be able to dredge something up that might work here. We'll have to wait and see."
"Um, anyone mind if I take the next-" When Val and Lenn glared at Scott with equal intensity, Scott held up his hands and backed away slowly. "I'll just uh...wait over here." With that, he quickly retreated behind Mike's large intimidating figure, as if he'd protect him from the combined wrath of Shepard and her blue Mini Shep.
Bradley couldn't contain his laughter any longer and pointed at Scott for good measure. "Bwahahaha! I'm braver than he is and I'm twelve!"
"Right. Who was it that had to carry you kicking and screaming again?" Vivian asked, smirking widely as Brad blushed and looked away. The fact he had been a snot nosed, crying mess when they had ran into each other she kept to herself. After all, even she wasn't quite that ruthless. "Alright, we're burning digital daylight. Brad, if you're determined to fight, you better get some practice in now. After we leave here we aren't coming back in a hurry."
"Yes ma'am!" Even as he bravely stepped forward, a small mace attached to his hip which he slowly drew from his belt, Bradley did his best not to let his knees knock together.
He'd done this a hundred times before the GM had made his intentions known. He knew how the game worked, how to fight, yet even Bradley understood just how drastically the game had changed now. To put it simply, it wasn't a game any longer. SAO was, for all intents and purposes, their new reality until they could find a way to escape it, from within or without.
Bradley about jumped when Val put a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly down at him. "Don't be afraid. We're right here with you Bradley, and we won't leave you behind. That's not how my dad works, and it's sure as Hell isn't how I work either."
Peeking his head out from behind Mike's back, Scott jumped out and proudly pointed at his armored chest for emphasis. "Don't sweat it Brad, we got your back. If your health bar so much as twitches we'll gang stomp the mob. Right guys?" Scott asked, glancing towards the group and getting nods from everyone. "See? No worries buddy. Now turn one of those hogs into a shiksha boar!"
"Scott and his lame puns strike again." Mike muttered, but smirked despite his exasperation at his friend's usual behavior. It was one of his more endearing qualities, even if it annoyed him to no end at times. "At least it wasn't a bangers and mash joke. You trying to impress those girls from London when we were still on Gun Gale was like watching a mag lev wreck."
"Indeed." Isaac quipped, as all three guys grinned, apparently sharing an inside joke.
"I think I've already died and gone to this Earth plane of eternal suffering and torment." Lenn dryly stated as she glared at the trio.
Vivian knelt next to the boy when she saw him hesitate, and wasn't all that surprised. Honestly, she would have been more shocked if he hadn't. "Ignore them. Focus on your enemy, nothing else." Shepard sternly ordered, as sternly as she could with a twelve year old at least. "Distraction can get you into serious trouble." This she directed at Mike, Scott, and Isaac, but Bradley still nodded his head so rapidly she was afraid it'd pop right off his neck.
"Right. No distractions." Bradley repeated and took a steadying breath.
"Be the boar little dude." Scott offered before getting Lenn's armored elbow slammed into his ribs. Isaac merely watched silently, saying nothing, and appearing for all intents and purposes to be an unmoving statue.
When the boar took notice of the youth once he stepped forward, Bradley glanced at the mace in his hand. It was nothing more than a small spiked metal ball attached to a simple wooden shaft, barely half his total height, but it had seen him through thus far. It'd serve well enough for a while longer, and most important of all, he wasn't alone. "I can do this."
Lenn slapped her talons over Scott's mouth before he could give anymore 'helpful' advice when she saw Brad start getting into 'the zone'. "Come on kid." The turian whispered as a familiar red glow surrounded the spiked head on his mace as the boar started to charge towards him.
Taking a calming breath, Bradley ran towards the beast and swung for its large head, easily connecting, and a moment later the stunned boar slumped over and shattered, causing the usual spectacular light show. "Haha! Yes! I can still do it!"
"Good job kid." Shepard told him with an approving grin as she playfully ruffled his hair. "First one will be the hardest for everyone, but now it will get easier for you... wait, what the heck?" Shepard's emerald eyes narrowed in confusion and frustration when the reward screen popped up. Other than the boar meat he'd claimed as the loot prize for the last, and only, strike and a little bit of money, Bradley's experience and skill stat on his blunt weapon hadn't gone up at all. Which meant either his character was bugged out, or he was too strong for the area they were currently in. "Um...what's going on kid?"
"Oh….uh….I was one of the lucky hundred thousand players who beta tested." Bradley admitted, his cheeks bright red as he rubbed at the back of his neck and grinned up at the group. "I forgot I had brought my data from the test into the game."
"That's why you know your way around so well. Huh, not bad squirt." Val said with a laugh before a thought suddenly dawned her. "Wait... what level are you Brad?"
"Uh...fourteen?" He all but whispered as he pushed his fingers together and pulled them apart nervously.
"Four-fourteen?!" Val stuttered and blinked in utter shock. An expression mirrored on every face but Vivian's, and even she was doing an internal double take of the young boy.
"I broke my leg during soccer practice so I was in the hospital for most of the beta test. I had...a lot of time on my hands." The blonde boy elaborated and chuckled in embarrassment at the memory in question.
"I'll say." Mike muttered, his tone just ever so slightly jealous, despite the huge grin on his face.
"I didn't get farther than the third floor though. I could have gotten to four, but I didn't want to leave my friends behind." Bradley sheepishly admitted, sounding as if he expected Shepard to be disappointed in him.
She surprised the boy by giving him an approving nod instead. "A good marine in the making. You'll go far if you keep up that attitude Bradley. A good soldier doesn't leave their friends behind. And as you seem to know the most about the terrain around here... you're my first scout."
"I won't let you down Commander!" Bradley replied, and saluted smartly.
"I have a feeling you won't." Shepard chuckled and ruffled his hair again.
Scott lightly punched the boy in the shoulder and grinned down at him. "Congratulations kid. That's pretty high praise coming from the Lioness of Elysium, among other things."
"I ought to be jealous, but I think I'll let this one slide Boy Scout Brad." Valara quipped, a lopsided grin on her blue face as she gently whacked the back of Brad's head and rested a hand on her sword's hilt. "Or not." She quipped as he glared at her and desperately tried to get his already ruffled hair under control.
"Valara Alexandra Shepard-T'soni. Let's not have a repeat of the Mr. Rippers incident." Shepard mused, fondly remembering what had happened when a young quarian boy had taken Val's favorite plush varren toy, a treasured gift from her Uncle Wrex, away from her in kindergarten. First in her class to Throw someone across the room, that's my girl. Ah, memories.
"Frel'Reegar Vas Grabby Hands had it coming! At least I didn't destroy him like Aunt Jack suggested when she heard about it later." Val protested in her defense.
"Right, because that ratty old varren toy wasn't already falling apart. Oh wait, it was." Lenn quipped and chuckled dryly when the asari glared at her next. "Personally I'm surprised it survived for as long as it did. And that you still have it under your bed." Valara choked on whatever she was about to say and quickly spun on her heel. "Thank you for proving my point Val."
"Bite me Lenn." She managed to spit out, completely and utterly mortified now.
"I already told you, asari are too salty for my taste. But if you insist... " Lenn leaned towards the petite asari, pretending to chomp down on her, and making a disgusted face the moment she did. "Blaah! Spirits that's salty." Her little show was soon rewarded with boisterous laughter from Bradley, quiet chuckles from the guys, and a discrete narrowing of Vivian's emerald eyes.
Depends on what you're biting…. Vivian chose to keep that to herself and loudly cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention at once. "Moving on….before I hurt someone. Bradley, you're up front with me. Isaac, Mike, bring up the rear. Everyone else keep to our sides and try not to get separated."
"You heard the Commander. Hmm... do you need a Gunnery Chi... no that won't work... I don't suppose you have an opening for a Major?" Val asked with a sarcastic smirk.
"Very funny. Second Lieutenant, take it or leave it." Shepard sternly offered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Normally this is where I'd make a joke about where the first lieutenant went missing, never to be seen again, but I'll shut up….this time." Val muttered, not about to be busted down to a private with her dad in charge of their little group. She'd never let Val near a battle site if she continued to press her luck.
"Lance Corporal Vakarian, I expect you to help Val keep everyone in line." Shepard intoned, to which the turian only nodded in gratitude.
Scott seemed giddy at the thought of getting his own rank as they strolled along the countryside. "Oh, oh! Can I be-"
Shepard cut him off with a wave of her arm. "Private WannaBe, stop jumping up and down like an idiot, you'll expose us to the enemy."
"Spawn points….you can't expose yourself to monsters unless you blunder into their spawn points." Bradley clarified, and immediately slammed a hand over his mouth when he realized too late he'd likely just spoken out of turn.
But Shepard merely chuckled and waved her hand. "And this is why you're at the front of the line kid."
"So, what's floor three like?" Mike asked as he kept an eye out for more than monsters. Other players were what concerned him more than anything, especially if any desperate parties came their way, expecting an easy fight.
Shepard held up a hand before Bradley could answer him. "That's, what's floor three like sir, PFC Wanderer. Unless of course you'd like to decline, Corporal..." Vivian stared at an awestruck Bradley, just about to give him a nudge when his brain finally started working again.
"Corporal Bradley Darnell, Commander ma'am!" Brad proudly declared, and even threw a not quite perfect salute towards Vivian for good measure once he caught up with her line of thought.
"Better get used to it. She ran a guild much the same way back in Galaxy of Fantasy." Val chuckled even as her emerald eyes fell on another pack of wolves off in the distance. Someone else was in the process of taking them down though, a young man in blue and black clothes, a mop of black hair atop his head, carrying a single steel sword in his hands. He's good. I can barely track his movements from here. No sooner had the thought flicked through her mind did the swordsman run through the last wolf before continuing on his own course. A flash of gray eyes when he turned to regard them was the last she saw of him as he darted away, a black blur against the grassy hill,
"Right, sorry ma'am. Wow! That guy's really good!" Solo players were rare in SAO, according to the few forums Scott had glanced at, so seeing one able to clearly handle himself was not something he had expected.
"Should we steer clear or see if he'd like to join us? Couldn't hurt to be careful though." Lenn asked, respecting the higher rank Shepard had bestowed on her by offering advice.
"I don't think we should approach." Isaac said, drawing all eyes towards him. "If he doesn't have a group already, then he might not want one. He might be a soloist for a reason, and we should respect that. Besides, it's pretty clear he knows what he's doing." Lenn only nodded in agreement, having come to a similar conclusion from what she'd seen for herself.
"Alright PFC Dirh-" Shepard didn't get a chance to finish before Scott loudly interrupted her.
"Oh come on! Why am I the only Pr-ofusely one glad to be serving under your command ma'am..." Scott lamely finished as he wilted under her searing emerald glare.
"God I hate fanboys." Shepard muttered to herself, shaking her head before continuing. "We'll avoid other players for the time being, just until we establish a firm foothold and a secure HQ."
"A guild hall will cost a lot of money, but if we're careful we can scrounge it up by doing quests and taking down monsters, maybe even the occasional odd job from other players later down the line." Val explained.
"Um...as for floor three, I think you know this already Commander, but each floor of Aincrad is the size of a small moon. Each one isn't strictly desert or jungle or snow or plains type regions. Almost every floor has a completely different environment, some are even entirely 'artificial' structures, such as labyrinthine metropolises long forgotten by their 'in-game' creators." Bradley chimed in, surprising Val for the second time in as many minutes.
"He's right." Dirhael agreed with a subtle nod. "The game information posted by the beta testers suggested as much. But the beta test data might not be the same as the final product we're standing in now Commander."
"So expect anything and everything. Got it." With a nod, Shepard gestured for them to get moving. "Well, forward unto dawn then folks."
"Quoting Auntie Ashley again dad?" Val asked, already knowing the answer to her question as they continued to press forward, deeper into the rolling hills and empty grasslands before them.
"Bad habit I picked up from hanging around her for so long." Shepard replied, and sighed, already missing her Gunnery Chief, her bondmate, and everyone else they had left behind.
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers." Scott solemnly quoted with something other than a grin or a smirk on his face for once. "Oh right, sir... err ma'am, Commander."
"All three work Private, pick one. And maybe don't quote the more depressing stuff. I don't plan to go out like Saint Crispin." Shepard retorted, a little surprised and impressed the village idiot knew the quote at all.
"Yes err….Commander."
"Good answer Private."
"Ma'am." Isaac pointed ahead, where another group of dark blue wolves had just appeared in front of their chosen path. "Attack?"
"Attack." Shepard agreed as she pulled her sword for the second time that day. "Watch each other's backs and try not to get chewed up."
"And don't pull the whole pack towards yourself. That's the best way to end up as kibble." Val explained as she followed her dad's example with a nod which Vivian returned with a mildly worried but proud nod of her own. "Ready Bradley?"
"Yes ma'am, thanks to you and the Commander." Bradley replied as he pulled his little mace from his belt.
"Good, keep an eye on Scott then. Wouldn't want him to hurt himself again."
Scott only grumbled to himself quietly this time, quickly getting the jist of being on the bottom of the chain of command. "Permission to cover your um... dammit..." He trailed off, uncertain as to the word he was looking for.
"Flank? Permission granted. And prepare to be drilled on military tactics to within an inch of your life Private." Shepard said with a sigh before she slashed at the first wolf that made the mistake of coming within reach of her blade.
"She's being completely serious." Lenn stated, two throwing knives leaving her taloned hands in the space it took her to finish her statement. Two wolves met a similar fate as the first, both blades finding new homes between their eyes. "Of course, that's to be expected when you're an N7 badass, a Council Spectre, and a galactic hero, in that order."
"She does have quite the impressive resume Lenn, but she's still as human as the rest of us." Mike intoned and brought his shield up and slammed it into another wolf's stomach when it lunged at him. Flipping it over his body, he brought his sword down into the center of its stomach before spinning to face a second.
"Actually, according to her biography written by Dr. T'so-" Scott never got a chance to finish correcting Mike, using his overly extensive knowledge regarding her Lazarus Project upgrades.
"Heads up Scott." Shepard stated and casually sidestepped the wolf that had leaped at her, sending its snarling jaws heading right for his neck.
Scott, much to her pleasant surprise, cocked back his shield arm without a second thought and bashed the wolf in the face before plunging his sword into its exposed back. "Oh yeah! Nice try Commander, but I was holding back earlier."
"I figured as much. No one is that useless. Well, maybe Conrad, and even he managed to 'save' my life." Shepard spun around just as Bradley swung his mace, catching a wolf in the side of the neck when it charged at her. She smirked and cocked her hip to the side at the smug look on the blonde boy's face. "Don't get cocky kid."
"Don't get distracted then ma'am." Bradley playfully shot right back. "I remember someone telling me that was important."
"I think we're going to get along great kiddo." Val replied as she laughed and kicked a wolf full in the face before driving her blade into the side of its neck.
Dirhael only smirked and shook his head before narrowing his gaze when he sensed rather than saw another of the pack behind him. He didn't bother to turn around, and simply put his blade at his back and let the wolf slice itself in half when it jumped at him. "Foolish animal should have known better."
"Damn!" Val exclaimed with a massive grin. "I didn't even know mob object detection worked like that in SAO."
"It's all in the name El-Tee. Sword Art. Every martial discipline, every move you can pull off in reality, plus many you can't, are allowed so long as you have the skill. Also, when I was by myself for a short time, a monster leapt at me and my only option was to put my blade in its path."
"Figured it out the hard way huh? I can relate." Vivian said with a shrug before she started to scan their surroundings for any more hostiles.
"Can I try that?!" Bradley asked, beaming at the thought of one shotting a monster by just standing his ground.
"No!" Everyone exclaimed loudly.
"Awwww….fine. Still, we did awesome!" Bradley replied and jumped in the air in excitement when the loot and experience window popped up in front of each of them.
"Joy. Do we want wolf meat, more wolf meat or... oh look, wolf pelt. This could be useful." Mike said, his hazel eyes shining with interest as he swept his finger down the list before deactivating his inventory box. When Vivian glared at Mike for some unknown reason, he immediately cringed. "Was it something I said Commander?"
"Nevermind. Where's this famous hunting spot of your's Val, and why exactly wasn't I invited in the beta?"
"Because you'd have hogged all the good stuff, cough, loot whore, cough, ma'am." Val replied without missing a beat and shooting her dad a grin over her pauldron covered shoulder. "As for its location, it's just over this hill." She pointed towards the distant hill that had a large tree in its center. "The enemies here are your typical goblins in any other fantasy game. Meaning they're able to use crude weapons and tactics to defend themselves. And they are really annoying."
"That's Commander loot whore. And what makes them so annoying? Are they dangerous? Hard to kill?"
"They attack in groups, but beyond that no. But they do like to mouth off like some idiot I know." Val flicked her eyes towards a quietly grumbling Scott.
"Need me to throw you into a nice cool stream for that burn Scott?" Mike asked and slapped a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Nope, I'm imagining her naked, it makes up for it." Scott whispered back, only to choke back a yelp of fear when Shepard's gaze jerked towards him.
"You know, if I didn't need a decent punching bag, I'd happily throw you to the goblins and let them carve you up for that comment Private. Take point."
"Ma'am yes ma'am!" Scott shouted, happy to put some distance between himself and a very pissed off looking retired Spectre as he dashed up the hill.
"Should we tell him you've been dropping points into your listening skill this whole time?" Val asked once Scott was out of earshot, much to Lenn's amusement and her father's silent enjoyment.
"No, let him think my enhanced abilities from the Lazarus Project bled over into the game. Since he's a fanboy, I'm pretty sure he's got my entire history and autobiography memorized from front to back."
"You are just cruel Commander. I like it." Lenn mused aloud.
"Your father didn't, especially when I'd reset his calibrations everytime he turned around and then went back to looking innocent. Up until your mom hacked the controls and made it impossible for me to do it any more."
"Yep, that sounds about right from what I've been told by my folks." Lenn chuckled before starting forward, just as Scott activated the spawn point for the aforementioned goblins the moment he got close enough to the hill and its lone tree. "Looks like we're in business again."
"Gah! Sith goblins!" Scott yelled in terror as a horde of yellow eyed, pale skinned ugly little creatures that barely reached his waist appeared all around him. As promised, they wore crudely fashioned leather animal hides as armor, and wielded equally simple wooden and stone weapons. "Ugh, and they smell horrible!" Scott groaned and waved a hand over his nose when the wind blew in his face, carrying their stench along with it. "Dude, seriously, I have two words for you. Irish Spring."
"Stupid human die now!" One shouted while another growled out, "Demon! Stab, kill demon!"
"Not this stupid human!" Scott yelled back, standing his ground despite being surrounded. Blocking a clumsy strike with his shield, he lashed out with the point of his sword, burying it deep into a particularly daring goblin's chest. Before it had even exploded in a shower of pixels, he had already swung his shield to block another hit, constantly adjusting his footing so he didn't end up tripping over his own boots, or getting stabbed in the back.
"Little help might be nice! ... Anytime now guys!" Two daggers soon found their marks on either side of Scott, evening the odds in his favor just as Valara appeared at his side, another goblin dead before it hit the ground. "Oh hey, glad you could make it."
"We can't let perfectly good eye candy go to waste now can we?" Val quipped as she bashed one goblin in the face and quickly ran up its body as it stumbled back. Using it as a springboard, she buried her blade deep into a second goblin's skull just as Shepard charged in, finishing off her makeshift ramp before it had a chance to strike at her back.
"I don't think she was talking about you Scott." Lenn said as she flipped a dagger between her talons before slamming her hand down on another monster's head. The blade stuck between its eyes, and the turian simply flicked it on its nose, sending it falling backward where it shattered. "Dead on his feet. Poor bastard."
Issac calmly watched, keeping an eye out for other mobs or players, as well as staying close to Bradley in case he got in over his head. Judging by the frequent multi color explosions going on around him, he seemed to be handling himself just fine for the moment. Smart kid to have used his time so wisely while he was immobile. Dirhael mused just as a straggler ran at him, a stone club raised high over its yellow eyed head. He swung his sword's tip up just as it was within reach, the goblin realizing too late he didn't have time to adjust his path before it impaled himself at neck height. "Blind arrogance can be just as deadly as any blade."
"Stupid human talk too m-" The goblin promptly exploded before he could finish his retort.
"Clan murderersss! Foul humansss, turiiian and asssariii!" A high pitched, shrill voice called out when the last goblin fell.
"Brad, Val, talk to me, what's coming?" Vivian demanded, frantically looking around for the source of this latest enemy.
"I don't know, this is something new!" Bradley shouted back, and Val could only shake her head since she had no idea either.
"My best guess is that it's a mini mob boss." Val stated as she put her back against her father's, her blade upraised as she too searched the area for the threat.
SAO Luminous Sword OST
"In the tree!" Lenn shouted, and jumped backward just as a shadow descended upon her. She groaned and was blasted away when a club sized tree branch slammed into her stomach while in mid flight, sending the turian flying down the hill only to fall fringe over heels until she laid still on her back. "Ow… that… actually hurt." Lennoria grunted out, one taloned hand on her stomach as she slowly started to sit up, one eye closed while the other twitched in clear pain. "My HP is down, but I should be- Oh Spirits." Before she could even stand, she saw a huge leather clad she-goblin with a crown of twigs upon her head, leaping towards her with its massive club, ready to deliver the deathblow. For the briefest of moments, Lenn was frozen in terror as the giant beast brought its club down.
Only for the weapon to be halted when a shield blocked its path. "Get away from her you bitch!" Scott roared as sparks flew from the powerful impact. He hardly felt the numbing vibrations as they raced down his arm from the attack, his sword flaring to life as he swung at the goblin queen, slicing into her shoulder. A red grid like slash appeared, signifying the hit as 'flesh' gave way under the withering attack, forcing the goblin queen back in the process. Scott didn't give it time to recover, enraged at the creature's willingness to hit one of their party while she was down as he bashed the queen in the face with his shield. "Eat this!"
With a primal snarl of rage, the massive club was brought to bear yet again, slamming into Scott's shield like a giant baseball bat. While it interrupted his attack, it didn't slow him down much, but it was enough of an opening to allow the queen to bring her free hand to bear. Said hand was curled up into a large, boulder sized fist which was already on a path for Scott's face.
It slammed into him like a freight train, dropping his HP by more than three quarters instantly as he landed on top of a groaning Lenn. "Is it….normal to have a splitting headache like this?" He asked, in a daze as he struggled to block another blow to Lenn's body with his shield.
"Leave my friends alone!" Bradley shouted as he repeatedly slammed his small mace into the back of the creature's right leg, proving to be a decent distraction and doing a large amount of damage in the process. When the goblin's leg buckled under the assault, Lenn crawled her way out from under Scott and got out of harm's way, but not before tugging a semi conscious Scott out of danger as well.
"Val! Think you can do that springboard thing again?!" Shepard asked, already pointing to Mike as he planted his shield into the ground, slanting it so Val could run up and jump off while Vivian and Isaac charged in to distract the goblin queen.
"On it!" Val shouted, only waiting a split second for Mike's nod as he slammed his pointed shield deep into the dirt, bracing it with his body.
Without a second to lose, the asari took off, leaving a cloud of dust and tore up grass in her wake. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as she closed the distance between them, her emerald eyes fixated on the target in front of her. Let's hope my Acrobatics holds up to this jump. It was the highest she had tried to jump yet, but she didn't give herself time to think about it further as her leather boots touched metal. Reaching the edge a split second later, she pushed off with everything she had, Mike letting out a grunt of effort as he put his strength to the test in holding the shield steady.
Pulling her sword, Val gripped it tight in both hands as she raised it above her head just as the goblin queen backhanded Vivian into the tree. She didn't have time to yell out for her father as Shepard groaned and fell to her hands and knees in front of the monster with Issac rushing to her defence. Just as the goblin queen slapped Isaac aside with her club, his sword lodged in her chest, Val crashed down on the giant goblin's back, her blade finding its mark at the base of her wrinkled, liver spotted neck. Val twisted the blade for good measure with a snarl of rage, forcing the queen to jerk upright and stand stiff as a board before it slowly started to fall forward. Rolling off of the creature when it came crashing down, Val spun on her heel, fast as greased lightning, and buried her sword between the creature's eyes out of spite. It was overkill, but Val was beyond caring, repeatedly stabbing her glowing blade into its hide, only stopping when it exploded in a massive wave of pixels as she crashed to the ground, along with Isaac's sword.
"Everyone alright? Did everyone make it?! Sound off now dammit!" Vivian called out, one hand against her chest as she struggled to her feet with Isaac's help. Catching sight of the cold, murderous fury in her daughter's eyes, Shepard shivered as she recalled a similar look in Liara's gaze after she came back from the dead and found her on Illium. Can't say I blame her though, not after that near miss.
"We're fine Commander." Lenn shouted as she and Scott stumbled up the hill.
"I'm okay." Bradley managed to choke out in between wiping tears off his face.
"I'm still here dad." Val replied, relief washing over her as she saw each of them regroup on the hill.
"Medic! I need medi-gel!" Lenn frantically called out as her gray eyes darted to Scott's HP bar. Her free talon darted all over her armor, trying to find the vial of medi-gel she always kept on hand, only to remember that she didn't have it, not in this virtual death game anyway. So instead she resorted to yelling at the young man in her arms, her gray eyes narrowing in her fury. "Stupid bosh'tet, what were you thinking?!"
"Save the beautiful, spiky girl?" He replied weakly, smiling despite the fact he could barely see at that moment through the red haze clouding his vision.
"Here!" Val instantly had a healing potion in her hand, which she immediately opened, shoving the open bottle neck into Scott's mouth and upending its contents down his throat. Ignoring his choked gasps, the asari breathed easier when his bar started to rise immediately, going from red to a less terrifying shade of orange, then yellow, before finally stopping on a healthy light green as it slowly continued to fill. "There, that should do it."
"Blegh! You didn't have to waste that you know." Scott said with a grateful smile. "HP regens over time. Maybe we should invest in some battle HP boosters Commander, just a thought."
"Just shut up and rest for a minute." Lenn firmly told him as she gently lowered him to the ground, propping him up in front of her and thunking his head against her armored leggings when he tried to get up.
"Oh, okay." After a moment he grinned up at the turian girl cradling his head. "You know, I could get used to this, beautiful."
Lenn let out a growl of disgust, tossing him off her lap and face down into the grass. "Yup, he's fine."
End Notes; Vergil1989 and Archer83; Well, that ended on a near disastrous low note, wouldn't you say? But we're not quite cruel enough to kill off a character in the second chapter. Maybe the fourth or fifth though, I'm nice like that. That was a joke... or was it? At any rate, I hope you folks have enjoyed the story thus far, and I'm curious. I'm wondering if anyone can guess which of the three guys, Mike, Scott, and Issac are our respective characters? Yup, that's right Sword fans, we've decided to make this into a partial SI, sort of a game within a game if you will. Hopefully the new twists and turns we have planned will provide you with a great reading experience. Those of you here just for the epic battles won't be disappointed either hopefully. Anyway, until next time guys and gals, Beaters and cheaters. See ya!
